


Between the Scenes

by Browhal1



Category: Lego Ninjago
Genre: Angst, Big Brother Kai (Ninjago), Canon Compliant, F/M, Family Fluff, Gap Filler, Lloyd Garmadon Needs Therapy, Lloyd Garmadon Needs a Hug, One Shot Collection, tv universe
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-22
Updated: 2021-03-12
Packaged: 2021-03-13 15:21:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 45,596
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28905537
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Browhal1/pseuds/Browhal1
Summary: We as the audience don't always get to see what happens "between episodes." There's some things mentioned/alluded to/had to have happened that needed further explanation. So this a is a collection of one shots of things the ninja did, probably or might have done, off screen.
Relationships: Cole & Lloyd Garmadon & Kai & Nya & Jay Walker & Zane, Kai & Nya (Ninjago), Lloyd Garmadon & Kai, Nya/Jay Walker, P.I.X.A.L./Zane (Ninjago)
Comments: 15
Kudos: 75
Collections: The_Newbie's Ninjago Fanfic Collection





	1. Timeline

After rewatching the entire franchise and spending waaaaay too much time delving into fictional worlds, this was the timeline I came up with

Season 1 (including very first two episodes)- 10 months *

2 weeks between ( _10 months 2 weeks_ )

Season 2- 3 months ( _1 year 1 month 2 weeks_ )

1 year ( _2 years 1 month 2 weeks_ )

Season 3- 1 month ( _2 years 2 months 2 weeks_ )

3 months ( _2 years 5 months 2 weeks)_

Season 4- 3 weeks ( _2 years 6 months 1 week_ )

3 weeks (2 _years 7 months_ ) 

Season 5- 3 weeks ( _2 years 7 months 3 weeks_ ) 

6 months ( _3 years 1 month 3 weeks_ )

Season 6 technically one day (entire season 2 months) 

6 months ( _3 years 7 months 3 weeks)_

Day of the Departed- two days

1 week ( _3 years 8 months_ )

Season 7 - 2 weeks ( _3 years 8 months 2 weeks_ ) 

One year ( _4 years 8 months 2 weeks_ ) 

Season 8- 1 month ( _4 years 9 months 2 weeks_ ) 

1 week ( _4 years 9 months 3 weeks_ ) 

Season 9- 1 month ( _4 years 11 months 3 weeks_ )

1 month ( _5 years 3 weeks_ )

Season 10- 3 days

9 months. _(5 years 9 months 3 weeks)_

Season 11- 1 month** _(5 years 10 months 3 weeks)_

9 months _(6 years 7 months 3 weeks)_

Season 12- 3 weeks _(6 years 8 months_ _2_ _week_ _s_ _)_

1 week. _(6 years 8 months 3 weeks)_

Season 13- 3 weeks _(6 years 9 months 2 weeks)_

*I had S1 shorter but the comics (admittedly I'm not sure how cannon they are) say the ninja had been fighting the snakes for a year before Lloyd is grown so = more time 🎉

**Time between realms doesn't always work the same, but since there's not a ton of reference to Wu and P.I.X.A.L during the Ice chapter I just went with how much time the ninja were on screen regardless of which realm they were in.   
  
  
  


Definite markers: One year between S8, one week between 8 and 9, mentions of days passing in various seasons (though not generally a specific number)

Relative markers: ninja are still cleaning up at the beginning of seasons 2 and 7 from the previous seasons, there is a technology revolution in season 3 which has to take time to build, Rumi is little in season 2 (10-12 y/o) but has to be at least 16/17 by season 8. Lloyd's voice changing in S8.

Point of contention- season 9 Kai says they're still teenagers.... ehhh doesn't really work very well: would have to have been 15/16 when Wu recruited which is feasible but even my modest timeline puts them at 19ish but that would put Nya as under 18 going into season 10... So I'm going to kinda of ignore that statement.

That also makes it difficult when one realizes there's several references to The Serpentine War and the battle against the Time Twins being 40 years earlier- Maya and Ray would have had to have been in their late 30s early 40s (at least) when they had Kai and Nya, which is possible considering the high stress of keeping Ninjago safe, they probably wouldn't have wanted to have kids while on active duty.

Also we know Misako didn't marry Garmadon until after the war had at least started, but that leaves a very small time frame from which Lloyd was at least conceived to when Garmadon went full evil, tried to take the Golden Weapons and was banished by Wu. Even less time when the show hints Lloyd and Garmadon had some form of familiarity in S1 when Garmadon comes to save Lloyd from the snakes, and how Garmadon seems to be more of a boogeyman legend at the beginning of S1. Then there's the question of why does Wu and Garmadon look like young men in the clips from the Serpentine War but much older in "present day" whereas Maya and Ray still look the same? (Granted both Wu and Garmadon are well over 100 canonically so maybe their age just caught up with them quicker?)

Sooooo all that to say the timeline is wonky. It's possible (likely- hey it's fictions) the inhabitants of Ninjago (especially the elemental masters) don't age on the same timetable as the viewers.

For my purposes though I'm putting Cole and Zane at 19 (though Zane's debatable depending on when he was built) , Kai 18, Jay 17, Nya 16, Lloyd 11 at the start of S1.


	2. Days of Future Past (S6)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one-shot goes a little further than what canon depicts, but nothing graphic

Jay leaned against the mast. Heavy clouds hid the moon but the glazed look in his eyes indicated he wouldn't have seen it anyway. Flashes of the last several weeks raced through his mind.

 _'Except it's not in the past anymore. It's like it never happened.'_ His previous experiences with time travel didn't help the confusion swirling in this mind. _'Can you really change the past, or was it always going to play out that way? Or unwrinkle the change? This time though, time was reset.'_ It was all too complicated.

He closed his eyes and drank in the quiet of the night. It was peaceful. He could almost pretend everything was back to normal again. Until a creak from behind him. Instantly alert he whirled around.

"Who's there?" His sharp voice cut through the quiet.

"It's just me." Nya's head popped up from the ladder.

Jay sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck. "Sorry. I didn't mean to snap at you."

She smiled gently. "I know." Taking his hand she led him to the edge of the boat. They stood quietly for a minute enjoying the solitude- a rare commodity on the close quarters ship.

"I couldn't sleep, again." Jay admitted softly.

"Nightmares too?"

"That would mean I fell asleep to begin with." Jay grimaced. "No more like keeping-me-awake-by-coming-to-my-mind mares. But that seems rude to horses." A ghost of a smile appeared on Nya's lips, but it quickly disappeared as Jay continued "You've been having nightmares?”

"I, well, yeah. Some-infrequently."

"Nya, I'm sorry..."

She shrugged. "They happen, and not just because of Nadakhan," Nya looked up into his eyes, "but you're not sleeping at all?"

Jay sighed deeply and turned back to the railing. "This ship has become my home, but now all the creaking and rocking motions put me right back in that hold. You never saw the makeshift cell but it was just a hole in the ship. Seriously inconvenient, like why would he have a giant hole in his ship exposed to the elements? It's a water hazard."

"Uh...?"

"Sorry, it's just, knowing him I wouldn't be surprised though if he had it custom made with the intent to be a prison." Shaking his head Jay went back to his original train of thought. "It's silly. I know I'm in my room and I know technically that didn't happen but the memories are still there. Sometimes I wonder if I'm crazy since the guys don't remember it at all."

Nya wove her fingers into Jay's. "If you're crazy then I am too. I still remember everything from my end."

"I'm sorry. What you had to go through was all because of my stupidity."

"Jay look at me." Jay dragged his eyes to meet hers. "When Clouse released Nadakhan he was going to come for us anyway. We are the ninja after all. While you might have sped the process along he was going to try and get rid of us- well you guys- eventually."

Jay traced his thumb over Nya's fingers before running down his own wrist, which no longer bore chain chafe marks or rope burns. "Maybe, but that doesn't stop the guilt, or the memories. Other masters have given up their lives for Ninjago. I feel like a coward for still struggling with a timeline that doesn't even exist anymore. It's literally all in my head now. Not that I want them, but I don't even have the physical scars to justify what I'm feeling. That makes me feel even worse about it. It's like I have no basis... " Nya squeezing his hand hard, cutting him off.

"Stop it. Please, Jay. What you went through was horrible. Even if none of the others know it, I do. You have every right to not know how to think or feel. What you told me... Jay I'm so proud of you for how far you've come already. The last two weeks must have been so hard and confusing but you still get up to meet each day, each challenge. And I'm here for you."

"Thanks Nya." Jay gave her a half smile. "I don't want this to affect me." He sighed. "I almost zapped Kai into oblivion earlier when he said he _wished_ it would stop raining. I still expect that demon genie to poof out of nowhere." Jay fell silent again, losing himself in his thoughts.

"Jay...?"

"It wasn't just the scrap 'n tap, you know. He wanted to break me. Make me use my last wish." Jay's voice was distant, thin.

"Jay you don't have to-"

"No. I need to." He interrupted her. "His favorite was the whip. Whenever I close my eyes I still see him there, standing over me with it. If I didn't clean the way he wanted it, or talked back or, I don't know, just was in the same room as him, my back took his anger." Jay laughed mirthlessly. "As a verbal processor you can imagine how frequent those interactions were. On top of that he barely gave me enough food to function. Clancee started sneaking me some once the eyes of the crew were opened to how crazy Nadakhan had become. That helped a little.

"Scrap n' tap was horrible. I was chained to that stupid vengestone ball, my back shredded, malnourished and he still expected me to fight his healthy, ornery crew. Dogshank broke a couple ribs close to the end. That was probably the closest I was to giving up, when I woke up after that fight. It had been two weeks at that point and I hadn't seen anything from you guys. I started wondering if you all just decided to leave me. After Cole revealed on the island what I'd done, I wouldn't blame you for it.

"Then you did come. Only for you all to get captured, you forced into marriage with that psycho and then brainwashed. But the worst..." Jay took a deep breath. "The worst is when was you were in my arms, tiger widow venom splattered over your dress. I lost you Nya. I lost you and I'm so afraid it'll happen again." Jay wasn't sure when he started crying, but there was no denying the salty tears trickling down his face.

Nya cupped his chin in her hands, carefully brushing his tears away. "Jay you're also the one that saved me. That saved all of us. You're so much greater than you give yourself credit for. And right now, I'm still here. I don't plan on going anywhere, but we don't know what the future holds. That's why we have to seize the moments now.

"If you want to go ahead and blame yourself you'll have to add blame to me too. I let my pride get in the way of letting you help me. If you think about it _that_ triggered the cascade of events since we weren't able to hide from the helicopter and get to Styx in time."

"No..."

" _Yes_ it is and you know it." Jay frowned but didn't respond. "I wanted to prove I could take care of myself, that I didn't need any one, and I admit in particular a man, to hold my own. I knew when I became a ninja that people weren't going to take me seriously at first, but it goes back farther than that...." Nya paused and stepped back slightly, head downcast.

"I let that stupid machine dictate how I should feel and that had such horrible consequences on the whole team. I'm sorry I let things get so bad between us, between you and Cole. I didn't want to just be seen as "the girl," but I'm learning now that it _doesn't_ matter what the media thinks of me. You, my brother, Zane, Lloyd, Cole, Master Wu, Misako... you're the ones whose opinions count."

"Not Darreth's?" Jay couldn't help but tease.

"Oh shut up I'm trying to be serious." But her mouth quirked upward as she turned back towards him. "What I'm saying is that while I don't want to repeat the experience, it showed me how much I love you Jay. And how much you love me. I'm not sorry for that."

"I love you too."

Jay leaned down slowly, giving her time to back away if she wanted. Instead she moved to meet him. The kiss only lasted for a few seconds but Jay could have sworn it was an eternity. They broke away grinning shyly at each other.

Nya reclaimed Jay's hand in her own and returned to resting against his chest. "In our line of work we really don't know what tomorrow will bring, but I want to face that tomorrow with you. One day at a time, enjoying each that we're given."

"That goes both ways." Jay wrapped his arms around Nya's shoulders. They were both quiet again for a while until another thought crossed Jay's mind. "Do you think we should tell them?" Jay asked.

"Tell who what?" Though the solemnity of Nya's voice indicated she knew what he was referring to.

"The rest of the ninja and Master Wu. Telling them about Nadakhan, Djinjago. All of that?"

Nya pondered his question. "I think it's up to you. You were most deeply affected by everything that happened."

"Well you know, besides you being forced into marriage and dying." Jay deadpanned.

"Maybe, but still I didn't have to go through it all to the degree that you did." Nya smirked. "Though I'm sure Kai is wondering where my sudden displays of affection for you came from." Jay's blush was visible even in the low light. "But if you don't want to rehash it we don't have to. We can just tell them we had a chance to talk through things, which is true. And Sensei has warned us that changes with the time stream are better left unsaid."

"True." Jay suddenly laughed. Nya looked up at him questioningly. "I just realized I've been so caught up in trying to readjust to being back that I haven't retold the guys I'm adopted. Aaaand my parents don't remember I know either. That's going to be a fun conversation." He made a face.

"If you want me there, I'll be right by your side. For both those conversations."

"There's no if about it."


	3. Growing Pains (S2)

  
_'The time of the green ninja has grown nearer.'_

Uncle Wu's voice echoed in Lloyd's head. He rolled over pulling his pillow over his ears. It did nothing to quiet Wu's words. Only three days had passed since the fight at Doomsday Comics. Three days since fate forced his hand. Three days since he lost six-ish years.

_Lloyd stood up dizzily, random areas of his gi wet from tomorrow's tea. The ground swayed far below him. Blinking hard he frantically looked toward the grundle. What had been a vicious monster seconds before now lay as an inert skeleton. Relieved he turned to see the rest of the ninja staring at him..._

The transformation hadn't really hurt. At least not physically. Yet everything was different now.

_He ducked through the rubble that was Doomsday Comics and made to jog after the ninja. Two steps in he tripped over his feet, falling to the ground._

_"Lloyd!" Nya was at his side in an instant._

_Lloyd waved her off. Gritting his teeth he shoved himself back to his feet. "It's nothing. I'm fine. Let's just get back to the Bounty."_

_He caught the looks the other ninja gave him, but he ignored them. They set out again, but at a markedly slower pace. Lloyd chose to pretend he didn't notice._

And that was only the start.

_Lloyd held up his pajama pants. What had fit just that morning now barely came to mid calf._ 'There's no way that's happening.' _He frowned as he glanced at the rest of the clothes in his dresser. All too short._

_"Here, you can borrow some of mine." Kai tossed an extra set in Lloyd's direction._

_Lloyd reached to grab them, but his arm hit them earlier than he anticipated sending them flying toward Cole's head. Cole stepped quickly to the side and plucked the clothes out of the air. Without a word he handed them to Lloyd._

_"Thanks." Lloyd muttered before heading to the bathroom to change. Behind him he could hear the whispers start up but he tried to block them out._

The ninja were still shooting him looks when they thought he wasn't looking. Unfortunately it wasn't like they didn't have a reason to.

_A loud crash came from the bathroom. Footsteps thundered as six people ran to the sound of the noise. Cole, in the lead, banged on the door._

_"Lloyd are you okay?"_

_A few seconds of quiet passed and the ninja exchanged uneasy looks._

_"Lloy-" Cole started again but was cut off as the door abruptly swung open._

_A large bruise was forming on Lloyd's forehead but he glared at those gathered. "I. Am. Fine. You didn't all need to run over here."_

In hindsight though that was small fries compared to his attempt to train the day before.

_Lloyd bounced on his toes, trying to warm up his muscles. An extra gi of Kai's flapped uncomfortably against his shoulders, but the one he'd been transformed in was getting a much needed wash. Nya promised to go shopping with him yesterday for a new wardrobe but the Bounty had a bad habit of malfunctioning at the most inconvenient times. There was no way Lloyd was going by himself so that left him with not-quite-fitting borrowed clothes. Shaking away his thoughts Lloyd looked up as Jay got into position in front of him._

Unlike the other guys Lloyd hadn't had a body that size before and his brain had no idea what to do with it.

_Jay aimed a punch at Lloyd's chest. In his attempt to side step the blow Lloyd tripped over his feet and launched himself_ at _Jay's oncoming fist. Lloyd saw Jay's eyes widen in alarm but he didn't have time to draw back. Two seconds later Lloyd landed with a thud on the mat, breath stolen from his lungs. Voices and blurry faces swarmed above him._

It didn't take long for Master Wu to call it quits, saying they needed to give Lloyd more time to adjust to his body. Lloyd heartily agreed.

_Lloyd flopped onto his bed, cracking his head against the frame. A hiss of pain escaped, but that was it. Unfortunately his body was becoming somewhat used to the ongoing abuse he was putting it through. That didn't mean it was ready to respond the way Lloyd intended._

_Wood creaked nearby and Lloyd rolled over, back to the door. Its hinges squeaked but he lay still. Maybe it would give him some relief from everyone's constant hovering._

_"Sensei should we do anything?" Cole's low voice drifted in._

_There was a deep sigh and pause before his answer came. "No Cole, let him be. He needs time to adjust, as you all do. Let him rest."_

That had been several hours ago. Needless to say it had not been a very restful time. Lloyd glanced at the clock. A soft green 3 o'clock stared back at him. Groaning he gave up trying to sleep. Quietly he slipped out of bed, being careful to avoid disturbing the sleeping ninja, and padded softly down the halls to the training room.

 _'What better way to get used to my body?'_ He thought dourly. And to be honest he didn't want the other ninja witnessing anymore of his blunders. _'Look at me the great green ninja. I can't even brush my teeth without knocking the entire container of toothbrushes into the toilet.'_ The guys had let that slide- only because Zane shoved Jay out the door before he could articulate his thoughts. Yeah... not one of his finer moments. Like everything other one of Lloyd's actions over the last few days.

After a quick mental reminder that _'No, Pythor was not on the ship,'_ Lloyd entered the dark training room. Flipping the light on he made his way to the center. Lloyd drew in a deep breath and ran through some simple stretches. He only fell once. _'I'll call that a win.'_

Muscles warmed Lloyd positioned himself in front of a punching bag and slowly extended his arms to feel the distance. Once he was confident he could control where his fists would go he began to punch the bag, slowly at first but with growing intensity.

_'The time of the green ninja has grown nearer.'_

Grimacing he drove his fists into the punching bag. Over and over again the phrase repeated, Lloyd punctuating each word with a blow. _'Like I wanted the final battle to be even closer. 'Cause I really want to try and kill my father on a faster timetable.'_

Anger bubbling Lloyd shifted his stance, going in for a front kick. Drastically undershooting the distance his shin connected with the bag. Committed as he was Lloyd barely had time to flail his arms before his momentum brought his face into contact with the leather bag. Lloyd fell to his back on the floor, seeing stars. Again.

"Arrgh!"

Once his vision cleared Lloyd glared at his arms and legs. The body that was his, but not really. Not the one he was familiar with. Yet did he have the right to complain? It had been his choice to use the tea. A necessity to save them all.

That didn't stop the tears of frustration that welled. Another reason to be down here this early, the ninja couldn't see how far Lloyd had fallen. Literally and figuratively.

A cough came from the doorway. Lloyd jerked upright to a sitting position to see Kai leaning against the door jam with two glasses of water in his hands. Lloyd hastily swept a hand over his eyes.

"Wha-" Lloyd's voice cracked and he cleared his throat. "What are you doing down here?"

Kai snorted. "I could ask you the same question."

Sighing Lloyd hauled himself to his feet. "I couldn't sleep. So I figured I might as well be productive and get some training in. You?"

"Needed some water. I saw your bed was empty, heard the noises down here and put two and two together." Kai handed one of the glasses to Lloyd who took it gratefully. "It'll take some getting used to, that's for sure."

"Mmph." Lloyd grunted noncommittally, downing the water in two gulps.

"Lloyd it's okay. We know this is a huge adjustment. None of us expect you to have it all put together, especially not so soon after it happened."

"But I should be. This is my destiny after all." An unintentional eye roll accompanied the last statement.

"Destiny shmestany." Kai waved his hand. "You're an 11 year old-"

"Not anymore." Lloyd muttered.

"-kid who still has had to deal with way more than any person should have to, especially at your age." Kai continued as if he hadn't heard Lloyd.

"Maybe, but still I'm the one who tossed the tea on all of us. I'm the one who did this to myself. So I don't have the right to..."

"Oh please you have every right to be confused. My head was scrambled going back and forth from older to younger and back. And that's when it was my own body. You didn't have the benefit of gradually getting used to yours." Kai's gaze grew distant and he grimaced slightly. "Though to be honest even growing normally brings its own awkward moments."

"I guess you're right."

Kai smirked. "Of course I am. But seriously, it's okay to take your time. While you might have to face your father sooner than we thought, that fight's not tomorrow." Kai placed his hand on Lloyd's shoulder. "Right now we can focus on getting you ready one day at a time."

"But what if I'm never ready?"

"That's the fun part about growing up, it tends to happen if we're ready or not. When my parents disappeared it was just me and Nya. To stay together I had to be the one to take care of her. That forced me to grow up in ways I never thought I'd have to.

"Just remember you're not alone. You've become a brother to us, a far cry from the squirt you were when we first met you." Kai chuckled. "We're here to see you through this no matter the outcome."

"But what if I can't finish it? He's my father after all, even if he wasn't always the best one."

"Yeah, absentee fathers stink, but at least you know he still loves you. He didn't seem all that thrilled to have to fight you either. Not sure if that makes you feel any better."

"No, not really but thanks anyway."

"Only so much I can do, but it's okay to be scared. We'll take this one day at a time, give you the chance for your brain to catch up with your body." Lloyd nodded tiredly. Kai took his glass and set both of them on a shelf before walking over to the bag. "Your punches looked good, all your moves are still there. You had the right idea to stick with one action. With your longer legs and arms you have to relearn your distance and center of gravity. It's just like how you trained when you first started- building muscle memory. Go again."

Heaving a sigh Lloyd set himself up in front of the bag. Once again he started slowly before building momentum.

"Good. Now switch to a left stance." Lloyd complied, keeping his movements even and precise. "Middle. Now back to right. Cross, jab and finish with a cross."

"Yaaa!" Lloyd threw all his strength into the last punch.

Deep inside him something swelled, moving from his core down his arm. The bag flew across the room, dirt and rocks spraying in all directions.

Panting Lloyd braced his hands on his knees. "W-whoa!"

"You okay?" Kai stepped next him.

"Y-yeah, just tired. That took a lot out of me."

"That was impressive," Kai nodded approvingly at the mess, "you couldn't do that before."

"No, I-I couldn't." Lloyd stared at the remains of the bag in shock.

"Looks like your grown body has given greater strength to your powers!"

"That's... actually pretty cool."

Kai helped Lloyd upright. "See, you got this."

"Not today, but soon... I just might."  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N- a couple elements were inspired by the story Of Milk and Cookies by GwenBrightly which I highly recommend you check out.


	4. Reassembly Required (S4)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We don't really get to see what happened to bring Zane to the island, though it's more or less confirmed Ronin was the one to do so, so this was my take on how that might have occurred.

"Are we compatible now?"

Though physically impossible P.I.X.A.L.'s processors skipped a pulse. "Zane?" She whispered. "What...? How...?" The normally collected and rational robot couldn't articulate her thoughts.

Zane's face flickered on screen. P.I.X.A.L. gaped up at him. He smiled kindly at her. " I'm sorry P.I.X.A.L. I did not mean to cause you or the others grief."

"How did you survive?" P.I.X.A.L. whispered. Her logic processors told her that she was indeed looking at Zane's face, but she could hardly believe it.

"We used my code to enter the Digiverse. That act imprinted a portion of my consciousness into Mr. Borg's computers, effectively creating a backup. Though I didn't realize until it activated after my body's demise at the talons of the Overlord." Zane smiled sheepishly. "In all honesty I forgot about it in the chaos following our exit from the Digiverse and the Overlord's escape."

"So when your body came into contact with the Overlord, and you... the code in the Digiverse reactivated, bringing you back?" P.I.X.A.L. finished.

"Precisely."

"But the battle with the Overlord was weeks ago."

"During the period of inactivation after we returned, my code spread throughout the Digiverse. It took time to pull myself together, as it were."

"Zane I cannot tell you how much your sacrifice has affected the rest of the ninja. They miss you terribly. I am afraid they disbanded in your absence. It is true that no evil has filled the void that the Overlord left behind, but my algorithms indicate it is only a matter of time."

"I fear as much myself. That is why it is imperative that I build a body to rejoin my brothers."

"I will contact them immediately and we can begin the process."

"Actually..." Zane trailed off, P.I.X.A.L. looked up at him quizzically.

"Do you not wish for them to know you are alright?"

"I would like to surprise them once I regained my full form. It is somewhat selfish I know, but it will not take long. Especially if you would be willing to help?"

"I would be glad to." P.I.X.A.L. smiled. "Mr. Borg has his laboratory in the basement, as you are aware."

"Only too well." He chuckled as old memories resurfaced. "I will meet you there." He hesitated before adding, "I missed you P.I.X.A.L." The screen flickered black.

P.I.X.A.L.'s smile lit the room. "I missed you more."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Many miles offshore from Ninjago three figures gathered in a cavern deep underground. The most ornately dressed sat on an erected seat, pushing buttons and occasionally interjecting a completely irrelevant comment to the conversation. The other two figures, one clad in leather with an eye patch and the other in silken robes, stood beneath the dais all too accustomed to their boss's erratic behavior.

"As I was saying," Leather man started for the fourth time, "these so called "ninja" took down the Overlord on his recent return. Though it came at the cost of one of their own."

"Boring sob story. What of my invitations?" The man on the throne didn't bother looking up.

Gritting his teeth the man continued. "As I've told you Chen,"

"That's Master Chen to you." The silken man cut in.

"He's not my master anything!" The man shot back. A glare from Chen brought him quickly back to his report. "They've all been delivered, except to the ninja."

This grabbed Master Chen's attention. "And why not? If they managed to defeat the Overlord I must have their power!" He shouted waving his arms in the air.

The silken man walked up the stairs and placed a hand on the other man's shoulder. "I'm sure Ronin has a _very_ good explanation as to why." He glared over at Ronin.

Ronin crossed his arms. "As a matter of fact Clouse, I do. These ninja and their sensei are do-gooders. Not your average masters for hire. They need a reason to come or their old teacher won't let them within 100 miles of this place just for the sake of 'glory.'" Ronin finished with air quotes.

"Baaaa who do they think they are? Some filthy flower children who don't think they can get their hands dirty without a reason?" Chen aggressively pushed the buttons on his consul causing a trap door to open inches from Ronin's feet. Ronin didn't even flinch, he just sighed tiredly. ' _How do I get signed up with these nutjobs?'_ An image flashed in his mind of the paycheck he'd been promised when this was done. _'Right.'_

"Well if they think they're too good you'll just have to give them a reason to come!"

Ronin narrowed his eyes. "What do you mean by that?"

Chen laughed maniacally. "Oh I think you can figure it out. Find a reason or make one, but you had better be sure those ninja come or I'll make sure your debt increases!"

Ronin clenched his fists, but a hard glare from Clouse encouraged him to keep his mouth shut. Nodding stiffly, Ronin turned and strode quickly out of the room.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
These were the famed ninja? Ronin was hardly impressed. He sat in a balcony of a dimly lit room, keeping his hat low over his face. Below him a boxing ring of sorts sported two individuals- a serpentine and one of his targets. The Burning Shogun or whatever he was calling himself, looked completely ridiculous in his WWE spandex.

A bell sounded and the opponents squared off. The Hypnobrai circled Shogun hissing menacingly. The ninja watched with a board look on his face. Growling in frustration the serpentine launched himself at Shogun. With ease Shogun ducked out of the way. Stumbling from the momentum the serpentine left himself wide open to attack. Pressing the advantage Shogun darted in with a punch to the gut followed by a swift leg sweep. The snake didn't know what hit him.

"Let's hear it for the Flaming Shogun!"

_'His skill is still there. Honor, eh not so much.'_ Ronin, confident he'd seen all he needed to, slipped out with a group of bikers. _'So that's where red went...'_ His thoughts were abruptly cut off as he walked by an electronics store. Several display tvs advertised a wipeout style game show. Sparing it a cursory glance Ronin was about to walk on when the host came on screen.

"Welcome back to Extreme Ninja Challenge!"

Ronin's full attention snapped to the blue ninja. Tuning out the rest of his words Ronin watched the ninja flop about the stage. Though he was exuberant, Ronin's sharp eye picked up how Jay's smile never quite reached his eyes. As he exited the stage Ronin could see the weary droop of his shoulders, even as he gave a cheeky wave to the crowd.

_'That's a sadder career change than fire-boy. He'll probably be less trouble than the other ones.'_ Another query answered Ronin made his way to his motel room. With the day mostly gone he would restart his search for the remaining members in the morning. _'I don't think there will be as much trouble as I led Chen to believe.'_

Two days later Ronin eating those thoughts. He still hadn't found the black or green ninjas. Well, to be more accurate he hadn't found anything in regards to the black ninja. He had gotten the occasional glimpse of the green ninja. It seemed that Lloyd was the only one taking being a ninja- ' _or was it truly former ninja?'-_ seriously. He would swing in to help the officers with some petty crime before vanishing to Ronin couldn't find where. Not a fact the bounty hunter liked to admit.

_'He obviously somewhere still in or around the city. I guess for now it's enough to know that he's still fighting, even if it's without a team. That last battle sure messed them up.'_ Ronin could relate to irrationality after a crisis, he'd done some pretty stupid things after his soul had been claimed, but these guys were taking the cake.

Research finally pinpointed some chatter about a strong new lumberjack working in the woods north of Ninjago City. With no other leads Ronin made his way out of town. Two hours later he made it to the outskirts of the operation. Keeping to the shadows Ronin slipped from tree to tree following the sound of whirring machines and shouts. He slowed upon seeing movement.

Men walked about a growing clearing, attending to various tasks. Ronin scanned their faces. _'Nope, nope, nope, definitely not. Hmmm.'_ One man stood apart from the others, a cap pulled low over his face. Though the air was chillier here than in the city he wore only a sleeveless vest. And he was _strong_. He appeared to be trying to downplay what he could actually do, but Ronin observed him move a 40ft log- with one hand- when he thought no one was watching. _'Now that could be an issue.'_

His observations complete Ronin headed back to the city. One thing was sure - this was not the same team that defeated the Overlord. _'I wonder if that'll make it easier or harder.'_ Ronin mused later that evening as he sifted through more internet data on the ninja. No matter, he was up for the challenge. _'I just need to figure the angle to trap them from.'_

Footage popped up of the white one's funeral. ' _How does a machine die?'_ A hyperlink to grainy images of the final battle was provided. Ronin watched as the android came into contact with the Overlord, overloading his system and causing an impressive icy explosion. The video ended with the shockwave blacking out the camera.

_'Well that'll do it.'_ Ronin thought, but a grudging respect settled into his mind. ' _He was willing to give it all to save the world.'_ His conscience prickled slightly but Ronin was used to ignoring it. ' _Good for them. Save the world. Yadah ya. I have to look out for number one.'_

Returning to the funeral footage Ronin examined the faces of the remaining ninja. They were stone like, distant, stiff. ' _So the white ninja's death really took a toll on them...'_ That would explain their wonky behaviors. He could use that, the only question was how. From all the reports Borg Tower was the focal point of the recent craziness the city endured. _'So that's where I'll head next.'_

Stars twinkled high in the sky, barely visible amongst the city lights, but Ronin paid them no mind. The only beauty he cared about were the gold coins to pay back his debt. Scoping out the area Ronin made his way casually to the target zone. Borg Tower's security system was impressive, but a few snips here and a mini EMP there Ronin hacked into the system. Looping the feed, he effectively rendered himself invisible. Taking out a multitool he slid a small panel out along the wall and slipped into the vents. _'All that fancy tech and they still have such massive security holes. Typical big wigs.'_ Ronin scoffed.

The whirring and clanking of machines echoed through the ducts. _'Well, what is going on here at 2 o'clock in the morning?'_ Picking his way through the vents Ronin drew closer to the noises, noticing he was moving down beneath the ground. Periodic grates gave a slated view of the lower level of the building. He stopped upon seeing movement below him.

Metal arms buzzed this way and that creating something, an android from the looks of it. Ronin frowned, who was doing the building? Movement across the room caught his attention. Pressing his face as flat as he could, Ronin was able to make out the figure. Another android, a feminine form, walked to a control panel. She appeared to be speaking to... someone but the machines made too much noise for Ronin to hear her words. A screen behind her flickered and a figure appeared. Ronin didn't surprise easily but he certainly wasn't expecting the supposedly dead ninja to carry on a conversation with the female android.

_'That was unexpected.'_ Content to watch for the time being, Ronin tried to puzzle through their actions. What was their purpose in working on and/or making a humanoid robot. His gaze flicked between the white ninja and the robot. _'Where they...?'_ The female hit a button and the machines ceased their activity. There was a moment of poignant silence.

"Are you ready?" She asked the ninja. He gave a firm nod. "Alright. Calibration is set. Commencing pairing sequence."

Suddenly the lights in the basement flickered sharply and the hum of electricity intensified. Blue sparks gathered around a wire coming from the screen that had been too small for Ronin to see until now. The screen flickered black and the sparks traveled along the wire to the robot. Electricity enveloped the automaton. His eyes flickered open, glowing a brilliant blue.

_'_ _I think I just found my in.'_ Pulling out a mini torch Ronin cut a hole in the duct and dropped below to the ensuing chaos.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ronin lugged the heavy burlap sack into the courtyard. It clinked with every step. _'Just like my bank here soon.'_ Clouse was waiting for him at the entrance to the house.

"What is that?" He crossed his arms looking down at the thief.

"What the boss wanted. Go get him. He'll want to see this."

" _You_ do not tell me what to do." Clouse spat out.

Ronin smirked. "Maybe not but how do you think he'll react when he finds out he was kept waiting from achieving his goal?"

Clouse scowled at him but retreated into the house, grudgingly beckoning him to enter. Silently they walked to the main hall where Chen sat idly fingering his staff. He didn't look up as Clouse cleared his throat.

"What is it now?" He whined.

"Pardon the interruption, master, but the thief has just returned from the mainland with something he's says you must see."

Ronin bristled but kept his mouth shut. Soon he would be out of here and wouldn't have to work with these crackpots again. No matter how much money they offered.

Chen raised an eyebrow and finally looked up, his gaze locking hungrily on the sack. "Oh do tell. What did you bring me?"

"Your motive." Ronin dropped the bag on the floor, the contents clanking loudly. "The ninja are a mess since their last battle, they might have come without prompting. But this will make sure they come."

Chen motioned to Clouse who warily approached. Opening the bag the inert face of a titanium man slid out.

"And what is that?"

With a flourish Ronin swept his arm down pulling the rest of the bag away. "The white ninja 2.0." The former nindroid lay motionless, a thick bolt sticking out of his central processor. Ronin whistled shrilly, and seconds later REX could be seen through a window hovering over the courtyard, lowering another sack to the ground. "And as an added bonus the she- android who helped them. Hence the delay. They put up a more impressive fight than I anticipated."

Chen's eyes lit up. "Oh wonderful!" A frown quickly replaced his glee as he focused on the nindroid. "You said he was destroyed. A fake won't give me his powers."

"It would still get you the ninja. However," Ronin smirked, "why don't you use your staff to see if he's the real deal?"

"If this doesn't work your debt is tripled." Chen warned. 

Ronin shrugged and gestured to the body. Chen lifted his staff. A harsh white glow filled the room, followed by maniacal giggles.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

He could hear something, someone? It was far away but sounded worried. Slowly he opened his eyes. Where was he? Another thought drilled into his sluggish mind, _who_ was he? His surroundings didn't offer any information. A fuzzy small room, a door across from him with... bars on the window? He lifted his hands to his aching head, but they stopped just below his shoulder.

Confused he looked down to see thick manacles locking his arms to the wall behind him. _What??_ Why was he in a cell? Had he done something wrong? He tried to think but he couldn't remember anything before waking up.

The other voice, it sounded like a female's, was still talking but his head hurt too much to follow. Something else though felt very wrong inside him. He looked down at himself and wondered if he should be surprised that he was metal, but that felt normal. No it was something else. Something was missing beyond just his memories. His heart felt hollow, part of himself was... gone. There was no other way to describe the feeling.

The voice became louder, more insistent, but he couldn't focus. His eyes drifted shut and his screen went black.


	5. Forged by Fire (S7)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Four part arc in progress. Technically none of these will take place in season seven- this one starts before season 1- but it's referenced in S7 soooo.... yeah. Also this one draws a lot of content from a flashback in S7 but it gets more original from there.

Maya woke up with a frown. Ray rolled over to say good morning, but the greeting died when he saw the look on her face.

"What's wrong?"

"I...I'm not sure but something... something doesn't feel right about today. I feel like something's going to happen, but I have no idea what."

It was Ray's turn to frown at his wife's words. Like the river swelling from a storm upstream, or ripples in the ocean before a tsunami hit, Maya would sometimes get premonitions when trouble was brewing. More often than not they were accurate.

"Anything specific? Something to do with the you-know-what?"

May shook her head, frustrated. "No, I think it's still safe. Just...just that I think it would be good for the kids to play away from the house today."

Ray raised an eyebrow as he reflexively glanced in the direction of their children's rooms. Maya caught the look. "I know, I know. But Kai's very responsible for a six year old. He's careful to watch out for Nya." Maya sounded like she was trying to convince herself rather than Ray. "And I'm not saying far, maybe just the meadow beyond the stream."

"You mean the one that's out of view from the house?"

"Yes..." Maya's voice trailed off.

"You're really worried aren't you?"

To voluntarily let either of the kids out of her sight like that, as young as they were, must mean something was off.

Maya buried her face into Rays chest, silent tears trickling from her eyes. "I couldn't forgive myself if something happened to them. Especially if it has nothing to do with them."

Ray held her tightly but remained quiet, thinking of their lives over the years they were active as the masters of fire and water. Maya's pregnancy with Kai brought about early retirement for the masters, but it was a change in profession they were happy to accept. Still, the past came with many enemies. Those who would love to exploit Kai and Nya's existence.

"If that's what you think is best I'd rather be safe than sorry." Ray gently stroked Maya's head.

"Thank you." She whispered.

They stayed in their embrace for several quiet minutes until the squeaking of hinges demanded their attention.

"Mommy? Daddy? I'm hungwy."

Ray chuckled softly as he rolled over and came eye to eye with Nya. "I bet you are. It's already 7! Sleeping in today I see." He reached over pulled her up onto the bed.

Nya giggled before pulling on his hand. "Pwease can we eat?"

Ray sighed dramatically. "Alright. Run on downstairs and I'll be down in just a minute."

"Yay!" Oblivious to the fact that her exclamation was directly in Ray's ear, Nya leapt off the bed and ran out of the room.

Ray's smile slid away as soon as she was gone. He couldn't imagine anything happening to his little water lily or fire cracker but Maya's worry was quickly becoming his own.

"I'll head downstairs to get them breakfast. Rest a little longer if you want to."

A door banged open down the hall and small feet clomped down the stairs.

"Don't think that'll happen now." Maya smiled ruefully, but honestly didn't think she could have gone back to sleep anyway. "I'll be down soon, I want to get a hold of myself before they see me."

"Take all the time you need." 

Ray kissed his wife on the forehead before climbing out of bed. He walked into the kitchen and the ensuing chaos of two small children. Kai was running around with a paper airplane while Nya watched, clapping and giggling.

"Vroom! Vroom! See it goes high!" Kai exclaimed while stretching his arm up on his tippy toes.

"How about now?" Ray came up behind Kai and swung him onto his shoulders. Kai shrieked in delight. Ray ran around the table a couple times before running to the couch and plopping Kai on the cushions. "Alright who's ready to eat?"

"Me! Me!!" Both kids cheered.

Two cereal bowls later the kids played contentedly on the floor with blocks while Ray loaded the dishwasher. Ray watched them out of the corner of his eye, not wanting to intrude but wanting to keep them close. Nothing was going to happen to them if he could help it. Maya came out of the bedroom, giving Kai and Nya a good morning hug before joining Ray in the kitchen. Even then her gaze lingered on the children. Ray put a soggy hand on her shoulder.

"They're going to be fine. They have two _master_ parents watching out for them."

Maya shook her head but a small smile tugged at her lips. "I suppose." She gently lifted Ray's hand off her shoulder, looking at the wet print it left behind. She playfully raised an eyebrow. "You know water doesn't bother me, but this shirt was already washed."

Making sure that Kai and Nya were momentarily occupied Maya held her hand to her shoulder, pulling the water from the cloth. She stared at the small ball of water, watching it roll lazily in her fingers. So beautiful yet so dangerous. She sighed and deposited it into the sink.

Kai ran up to the pair, pulling on Ray's shirt. "Are you going to work this morning?"

Ray glanced over at Maya, who hesitated before nodding. "I think that's the plan. Do you want to watch me work today?"

"Can I? Please!?" Kai jumped up and down.

Ray would only occasionally let him in the workshop. He wasn't always the best at following instructions, and with a hot forge it could be dangerous. It was hard to say no today. Plus it would give Ray an excuse to keep a close eye on Kai.

"Just remember..."

"Do what you say and don't go by the fire." Kai finished.

Ray smiled and tousled Kai's hair, making it stand up in strange directions. "You got it bud. Go get your shoes on. I'll be there in just a second." Kai ran off and Ray looked up to see Maya watching him. "He'll be safe with me."

She smiled thinly. "I know. Just, please, be extra careful."

"You know it." Ray kissed her and walked to the door, stopping to give Nya another hug before meeting Kai outside.

The forge was about 30 yards behind the house, offset to prevent any potential mishaps from affecting the house. Thankfully between Ray's expertise, and the fact he could control fire itself, it had been so far an unneeded precaution.

Inside Kai found his perch on a table across from the forge. The fire and magic of shaping metal into something useful fascinated Kai. Ray secretly hoped that was because his own powers lay dormant in his son, but it could just be a way Kai liked to spend time with Ray. Only time would tell.

Ray stoked the coals and soon the room was stifling. A fact that bothered neither Ray nor Kai. Two tables were pushed close together so Ray could have the necessary tools and metal pieces within easy reach. A thick sturdy broom sat propped against the wall to sweep up any loose shavings between projects. Ray quickly lost himself in the monotony of hammering, pausing occasionally to make sure Kai hadn't moved. He had an order for helmets he needed to finish by next week. Half the morning passed quickly. Ray finally paused, wiping sweat from his brow.

Kai, seeing the action, grabbed a nearby water bottle and ran over to his father. Ray looked up to see his son's form closing in much too quickly for the cluttered work space.

"Kai no!" He shouted, but it was too late. 

Kai tripped over the broom and fell headlong toward the forge. Screaming in fear Kai landed hard against the open faced forge, one hand landing directly within the flames.

"No!" Acting on instinct Ray shoved the fire away with his mind while simultaneously yanking Kai back.

It happened within the span of only a few seconds, but those seconds could do a lot of harm. Frantically Ray spun Kai to face him and pulled his hand up to look at the damage. 

Only there wasn't any. 

Ray froze momentarily, blinking hard in case he was hallucinating. Kai's hand was slightly warm, but it wasn't red or blistering the way a normal person's would after coming into direct contact with fire.

"D-dad?"

Ray shook himself. "Are you okay?"

Kai shakily nodded his head. "I-I think so. I'm sorry I didn't mean..." Tears trickled down his face.

Ray pulled him into a tight hug. "No- no it's okay. You're okay. That's the important thing. That's why I tell you to not move."

Kai nodded against Ray's shirt. Ray let out a shaky breath. "Nothing hurts?"

"No, dad." Kai pulled back and looked down at his hand confused. "I thought fire burned?"

Ray hesitated. "Did you feel anything when your hand went into the flames."

"No not really." Kai shook his head. "It kinda tickled but that was it."

Ray's pulse quickened. That was the same for him as a child before his powers matured. It wasn't definitive by any means, but it could very well be Kai would develop fire powers. 

"Kai..." Ray trailed off unsure how to continue. The elemental masters conversation wasn't one he intended to have today.

"One day you might find fire to be a closer friend than you'd ever thought possible. I need you to remember though, Fire is a powerful thing. It can keep you warm in the cold, but get too close and it can burn." Kai scrunched his nose up, not understanding what Ray was trying to say. "It-it, ugh just, please be careful around fire. I don't want you to get hurt."

"I know. I'm sorry."

"I know. Let's head back to the house." Ray took Kai's hand and gently lead him out of the room.

"Am- am I in trouble?"

Ray shook his head with a soft smile. "No but I don't think I can focus on work again for a little while. You scared me bud. Besides mom has a surprise for you and Nya."

"Ooo!" 

Significantly happier Kai let go of Ray's hand and ran ahead to the house. Ray rubbed the back of his neck. This was going to be a fun explanation to Maya.

She met them at the door, her face pinched and pale. A quick scan ensured they were both alright. Ray nodded to reassure her but he knew his body language already made her suspicious. Catching the narrowing of her eyes, Ray knew they would be having a conversation as soon as the children were out of the house.

"Here Kai I have a picnic for you and Nya."

"We get to eat outside!?"

Maya smiled and leaned down in front of him. "Yes I thought it could be something you and your sister enjoy together. You can go down to the meadow but I don't want you to go near the water okay?"

"Okay mom!" Kai grabbed the basket before waiting patiently by the door for Nya to put her shoes on.

"One more thing you two." Maya called before they could leave.

"Yes mommy?" Nya turned back toward them.

"I need a hug."

Nya ran over, arms outstretched. Kai followed more slowly. Maya held them both tightly to her chest until they started squirming.

"Mom!" Kai complained.

"Sorry." She released them but there was a heaviness her voice.

Ray gave them both a fierce quick hug. Kneeling next to them he made sure he had their attention. "Kai, Nya, we love you both so much."

"Love you too dad." Kai said quickly, eager to head out in their adventure.

Maya's lips twitched upward. "Kai, take good care of your sister. Watch out for each other." She looked them both in the eye, trying to impress the importance of her words.

"I will!" Kai wriggled out of their grip and headed back towards the door. 

He took Nya's hand and together they walked away from the house. Ray and Maya watched until they disappeared beyond the hill. Maya turned into Ray's chest and started shaking.

"What is it?" In all the years he'd known her he had never seen her so upset.

"It's coming. Soon. And I still don't know what, but I'm scared we'll never see them again. That something will happen to them."

Ray rubbed her shoulders, unsure how to respond. "We'll just have to trust they can take what life throws at them." Not his best thought through advice but it was really all he had at the moment. "This might be the best time to tell you I have more confirmation Kai will take after me."

Maya shifted to look up at him. "What happened in the workshop? You were upset when you walked back."

"Ever so perceptive. Well... Kai may have tripped and put his hand in the fire, but he's fine!" Ray hurriedly finished.

"Ray!" Maya cried in disbelief.

"I know, I know. I'm a horrible father. In all our years of fighting I've never been so scared as I was in that moment when I saw him falling. But he was completely fine!" Excitement and pride were evident in that statement.

"That doesn't mean for sure..."

"Believe me I know, but that's how I was when I was a kid. Fire didn't hurt me."

Maya sighed. "If he can develop and wield his inner flame he'll be a force to be reckoned with. It can protect them... or make him a stronger target."

"Just wait until Nya develops your powers then nothing will stand before them."

Maya playfully swatted his shoulder. "We don't know she will any more than if Kai will."

Ray took her hand in his own. "Trust me on that one." He drank in her clear blue eyes. "Do... do you think we should have told them? About who we really are?"

Maya looked towards the meadow. "They're so young, too young for that burden. In any case it may be too late now..." She turned towards Ray and stiffened. Maya the concerned mother was instantly replaced with Maya the veteran master of water. "Ray." Her voice deadly serious. She pointed toward the road.

A black four door sedan cruised in their direction. Her grip on his hand tightened, but she stood straight and tense- a coil ready to spring. Following her lead Ray released her hand and took a step forward, placing one foot slightly in front of the other to prepare for a ready stance if necessary. His heart rate increased as the vehicle turned into their driveway, ominously snaking its way toward the house.

"Maya, I love you. You're the most amazing woman in the world. I hope you know that." Her hand squeezed his shoulder but she didn't responded as three of the doors opened to the car. Two men purposely walked up towards the porch, while the driver stayed by the car.

Ray recognized the driver, but didn't relax his stance. "Dr. Saunders. I didn't know you would be here so soon. I'm sorry to say your order isn't ready yet."

The German doctor smiled grimly. "I'm aware of that Ray. However I need your assistance in another matter." With a flourish he ripped off his mustache and wig.

Ray heard Maya gasp behind him and it took everything within him not to do the same. As it was he took an involuntary half step backwards.

Krux, half party of the twin masters of time, leaned casually against the car. He smirked, his accent gone as he asked, "What, no hello to an old friend?"

"That's not possible. You jumped into the time stream twenty years ago. You were supposed to be gone for good." Maya's voice lacked its usual strength.

Krux laughed, a harsh grating sound. "Twenty-three years actually, but who's counting?" He spread his arms wide. "Look who you're talking to. Time is fluid. Wibbly-wobbly. Though something can change as time moves." He gestured toward his two associates who began to close in on the couple.

Ray's hands burst into flames, but the two men didn't seem put off by the fact. They continued to walk closer. "What makes you think we'll go quietly?"

Krux crossed his arms. "It would be a bummer if we started making a lot of noise. People might hear and it would be a shame if others were caught in the crossfire."

"What people are you referring to? I don't see anyone." Maya's response sounded too rushed, even to her own ears.

"Do you really think that less of me? While I admit you two are descent masters, you don't stand a chance before me. However I still took special precautions. It's amazing what one hears being a fly on the wall these days. Oh and by the way congratulations on the birth of your son and daughter. From what I've seen they're angels." The fire in Ray's hands flickered sharply. "It would be a shame not to include them in my visit if I already made the trip."

"You leave them out of this!" Ray's voice was low and sharp.

Krux stalked forward until he was side by side with his minions. "I might be persuaded. If you two come quietly. The meadow would be a dreadful place to accidentally muck up."

Maya inhaled sharply. This was it then, their lives or their children's. It really wasn't much of a choice. "You touch one hair on their heads and it will be the last thing you ever do." The threat was weak, everyone knew it.

Krux waved his hand dismissively. "Why would I care about a couple ankle biters? They don't fit into the plans I have for the two of you."

"Ray..." Maya whispered in his ear. He was breathing hard. She couldn't see his face but she could imagine the emotions warring within him, the very ones tearing her own soul in pieces.

Slowly he dropped his stance and flame. "Swear you'll leave them alone."

Krux smile was that of a lion about to pounce. "Cross my heart." Ray and Maya stood stiffly as the men closed the distance. "Well then shall we be off?"

Firmly Ray and Maya were led to the waiting car. Without a word they slid in, squeezed together between the silent goons. Maya tried to ignore the nausea in her gut as she thought of Kai and Nya returning to an empty house. It was better than them not returning at all. The car began its slow descent towards the road.

"Just as a precaution I'll have to swing by from time to time to check in on them. Make sure they're doing okay." Krux cackled.

"You have us." Ray growled. "There's no need for that."

"One never knows the ideas that may come into your heads." Krux shrugged. "Can't ever be too careful. Speaking of..." Simultaneous clinks sounded as metal cuffs encircled both of their left wrists. "Vengestone is a marvelous thing I must admit. Very handy. Unfortunately it's rude to ruin surprises so the rest will have to wait until we get there."

Hoods were suddenly drawn over their heads. Maya found and squeezed Ray's hand hard. He gripped her hand tightly, trying to put all the words he couldn't say into that action. He started feeling dizzy and Krux voice wavered in his ears.

"I do apologize, but of course I can't have you knowing where we're going. Too much risk involved. Don't worry we'll have plenty of time to catch up later."

With those words Ray and Maya lost consciousness, allowing the darkness to ward off the heartache for a few hours. Unbeknownst to either of them, they would have many years to become closely acquainted with it.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Mom? Dad? We're back!" Kai shouted as soon as the door was open. "Hello?" Silence answered his greeting.

"Mommy?" Nya's voice rang loudly in the stillness. After a few seconds she turned to Kai. "Whewe's mommy and daddy?"

"I-I'm sure they're in their room. Come on let's go look." Kai gently held her hand as they searched the house. There was no one else in the home.

"K-Kai?"

Kai didn't want to answer. The fear in her voice matched his current feeling. "Kai!?"

He looked down at her. "Whewe awe they?"

"I don't know."

"Will they come home?"

Kai threw his arms into the air. "I don't know." Nya stared at him wide eyed and took a step backward. "I-I'm sorry. I just don't know."

"I'm scawed."

Kai wrapped his arms around Nya. "I know. But I'll be right here for you. I promise." 


	6. Forged by Fire 2

Kai stared into the low rising flames of the kitchen fire. He wasn't supposed to be down here by himself, but Nya had another visit today. Maybe if he didn't hang around the office things would turn out differently this time.

Kai sucked in a sharp breath. The last four years could have been worse, that was for sure. He and Nya were only at the house a few days before one of dad's customers came to check on his order. A quick phone call later the police and social services were knocking on the door. They asked questions about mom and dad, but he couldn't answer them- only thing he knew was they weren't there when they came home. Two of the men walked towards the door talking in hushed tones using words like "abandoned" and "ward of the state."

Their tone made Kai want to punch something. ' _Mom and dad wouldn't abandon us! They loved- love- us!'_ Kai thought fiercely as they were led away. But as time dragged on he found that statement harder to hold on to.

The orphanage they were brought to was nice enough, but with thirty kids aged 3-16 the staff didn't have enough time to pour into the kids individually. They cared for the kids as best they could, but with Kai and Nya coming from a home where they knew love and affection, it made the gaping wounds worse. Census ebbed and flowed but no one seemed to want the Smiths- or more specifically Kai.

After being there only a month Kai retreated within himself, growing quiet and sullen. He refused to play with the other kids his age, choosing instead to stick close to Nya's side at all possible times. While at this point he was unsure of anything regarding his parents, his mom's last words had become his mantra- take care of Nya and watch out for her. Given his young age he couldn't do much besides stick close with her, but for now it was enough.

There were other sibling groups at the home, but none held the exclusivity Kai showed toward his sister. The only time he would interact with the other kids would be when they would tease him or Nya. Those usually ended with a punch to the offenders most convenient body part followed by an exasperated lecture and loss of privileges for Kai. It wasn't long before most of the kids left him alone.

Nya, for her part, didn't mind her Kai sized shadow. Their parents' disappearance had shaken her deeply and she looked for comfort in her brother. However she came to enjoy playing with the other girls. Kai didn't stop her, but would keep his own toys or project within arms reach. But as the months slid by Kai found himself drifting further and further on her periphery. She was younger, "more resilient" some of the teachers said. Whatever that meant. The only thing Kai felt was that he was slowly losing his sister, and by extension himself.

With the orphanage located much closer to Ninjago City than their hometown of Ignacia many people would come in to foster or adopt. Most couples who came were interested in the eight year old little girl... then they realized how attached she was to her ten year old brother. That was fine until they tried to interact with Kai. One word phrases or straight up ignoring the adults and keeping an alert eye on his sister to his own detriment wasn't generally admired. They didn't usually return for a second visit.

Kai wrapped his arms around his chest. Maybe it would be better for Nya if he backed off, let her have the opportunity to be part of a family again so she could actually have a shot in life. She deserved way better than this. He was only holding her back.

At this point he'd been around long enough to see that the older boys didn't usually leave until they were taken on as apprentices. If they were lucky enough. 

Kai could back off, watch out for her by letting her go. That thought made him sick. Pressure built in Kai's throat, but he told himself he was just sitting too close to the smoke. Nya didn't need a cry baby for an older brother.

Kai let his thoughts trail back to their last day with mom and dad. Fire always reminded him of the forge. How he should have been badly burned but wasn't. He hadn't tried anything with flames since then, though to be fair he hadn't really had the opportunity. ' _Dad said to be careful,'_ Kai thought bitterly ' _but dad's not here now.'_

Glancing around to make sure he was alone Kai tentatively stretched his hand out into the dancing flames. No pain greeted his senses, the fire simply rolled around his hand almost as if it were playing with him. Fascinated Kai didn't hear the footsteps behind him, but he did hear Matron's scream.

Hastily drawing his arm back, he swung around to see her staring at him horrified. 

"Kai! What are you doing?"

"N-nothing ma'am."

She rushed over and looked at Kai's hand. There was a slight pink hue but it was otherwise unharmed. Staring at it for a long minute Matron muttered something to herself. All Kai could hear was "unstable."

Finally she pursed her lips, "Let's get you back upstairs. You're not supposed to be down here."

Kai nodded and allowed himself to be escorted out of the kitchen. Through the passing windows Kai could see the sun was setting. He hadn't realized how long he'd been downstairs. It was no wonder Matron found him.

"Brush your teeth and get to your room. We'll talk about this in the morning."

"Yes ma'am." Kai whispered and trudged down the hall.

He could feel her eyes on him until he entered the bathroom. ' _That was stupid. No wonder dad said not to play with fire.'_ But Kai couldn't help take frequent glances at his uninjured hand. He'd seen what happened to others who got too close to the tantalizing flames, but for whatever reason they chose not to harm him. ' _What does it mean?'_

Kai made his way slowly to his room. It would be empty, his roommates still had an hour or so until lights out required them to come inside. On a summer night like this they would delay as long as they could.

Kai plopped on his bed and pulled his knees to his chest. His bed rested on the far wall next to the window. The older gentlemen who came occasionally to help with the grounds- who's name none of the kids seemed to know since he kept to himself, only tipping his wide brimmed hat at passersby- was kneeling in the garden bed. Kids of all ages played around him in the backyard but Kai didn't see Nya. He frowned, if she was still with the couple it was an even longer meeting than normal. Was that a good thing?

Footsteps sounded from outside the door. After a moment of indecision Kai scrambled under his covers and turned his back to the door. A firm knock came but Kai ignored it.

"Kai? I'm coming in." Matron called impatiently.

Kai lay still as the door squeaked open. He kept his breathing deep and even hoping she would just leave him be. Her footsteps came closer but she stopped short of the bed. With a sigh she flipped the light off and shut the door behind her. Rolling over, Kai stared up at the ceiling. The only thing to do now was wait.

Minutes dragged by. His roommates, two slightly older boys, came in but Kai turned so they wouldn't realize he was awake. They noisily finished through their bedtime routines before settling into bed. It wasn't long before their soft breathing filled the room.

Kai glanced at their alarm clock. 10 PM. Still too early. Matron would still be prowling the halls for any stragglers. When it was just past 11 Kai deemed it safe to slip out of his room.

Carefully he stole down the hall, listening for anyone else who might still be up. The office was on the first floor of the building, he would have to pass it to get to the classroom. To his dismay the light was still on. Keeping tight to the shadows Kai came closer. He didn't want to wait to see Nya until tomorrow. He had to know how the visit went.

Upon getting closer he could hear Matron's voice came from the room. It was answered by the deep rumble of Mr. Tanam, the orphanage's onsite tutor. Kai turned to slide down a side hallway when he heard Matron mention his name. Kai stiffened. What was she saying about him? He slipped closer to the cracked door.

"-he's grown more distant and withdrawn in the last couple years, but I'm starting to become seriously concerned about him."

"It could just be a phase."

"Daniel, I caught him trying to put his hand in the fire earlier!"

There was a sharp squeak of a chair moving suddenly. "You did what?"

Matron sighed heavily. "Nya's visit was this evening, but as I stepped out to check on things I noticed Kai wasn't around the corner like he usually is. At first I thought it was because he wanted to give Nya a chance with them so I didn't think too much of it. However when I went to the kitchen to grab a pitcher of water he was sitting right in front of the fire, his hand in it! At least that's what it looked like from the door." Her voice filled with confusion. "I ran over and looked at his hand, it wasn't even warm! I must have caught him before he actually put his hand in, it may have just looked like it was inside it from where I was. But the fact remains he was trying to burn himself!"

"Hmmm. Did you ask him what or why he was doing it?"

"No, it seemed obvious to me."

"How so?"

Matron's voice dropped a pitch. "With Nya getting more visits I'm afraid he's wanting to go to exorbitant lengths to bring attention back to himself. Either that or he starting to self harm to release his pain. I'm worried about him, and what his actions mean for Nya."

"If she sees him she might imitate his behavior?"

"Exactly. The family was interested in her, but I don't know if they have enough resources to take in a seriously troubled child. He's only ten at that!"

"Fair concern. _If_ it's factual. I still say we get Kai's side of the story. Have you seen anything else of concern?"

"No... but it could be only the first step. I'm still going to call the hospital in the morning for a referral. We need to make sure he's not going to hurt himself, or Nya."

Kai stumbled back down the hallway, unable to catch his breath. That's what they thought of him? A dangerous, destructive child that Nya would be better off without? Kai leaned against the wall to steady himself, accidentally landing harder against it in his shock.

"What was that?" Matron's voice came too close for comfort.

Kai retreated as fast as he dared, finding refuge- once again- in the kitchen. Inside he fell to his knees. Breathing heavily he tried to wrap his mind around what he heard. In that same room just hours ago he had been contemplating letting Nya go, but now that it was a possibility he couldn't accept it. He waited quietly for several minutes before seeing if Matron had returned to her room. All was quiet.

 _'I can't- I won't- leave Nya. She's all I have left. I won't leave... unless that's what she wants_.' Stealthily he crept toward the classroom. Long ago when they'd first explored the building they found the classroom door would unlock if it was bumped just right. Nya had the idea to use it as a meeting place if they didn't want to be seen by anyone else. More often than not it became a debriefing room after Nya's visits, as was the case this evening.

It was too quiet and dark though when Kai came to the room. Since he'd been caught by Matron, which Nya probably didn't know, he hadn't made it there right after the visit. Weighing his options Kai hesitated only a moment before sneaking toward Nya's dorm.

Technically he wasn't supposed to be in that wing of the house at all, but he was past rules at this point. He needed to see her. Now.

Nya shared a room with three younger girls, who, he knew from talking to Nya, were hard sleepers. He wouldn't have to worry too much about them waking when he came in. Pausing at her door, Kai took a deep breath. ' _Do I really want to do this? Nya has her life ahead of her. This could ruin everything for her_.' Kai grimaced. ' _It has to be her choice not mine.'_

He resolutely turned the knob and crept inside. It was dark, but Kai could easily pick out Nya's sleeping form. Gently he shook her awake.

"Hmm. What? Is it time to get up?" Her eyes focused on Kai. "Kai!" Her whisper echoed through the room. "You're not supposed to be in here!"

"I know but I needed to talk to you. Let's go to the bathroom where we can talk better."

Taking her hand in his own Kai checked the hallway before sneaking out. Inside the bathroom Kai turned on a low light and leaned against the door.

"I'm sorry I didn't wait up. I got tired and then it was bedtime."

Kai waved away her concern. "It's okay. I know it was later than normal. Matron caught me in the kitchen."

"That's what she was so upset about."

Kai rubbed a hand over his eyes. "Sorta." He hesitated trying to find the right words. The last thing he needed was Nya thinking he was crazy too. "How'd the meeting go?"

Nya shrugged. "Good. They were nice, I guess."

"Nice is good. Do you think... would you want to live with them?"

"I don't know. I miss mom and dad." Tears pooled in her eyes as she looked up at Kai.

"Yeah," His voice was husky. "I do too, but if they... if we can't find them we might have to figure out something else." Nya frowned but didn't respond. "I think that couple might be open to taking you into their home..."

"But what about you?"

"I think Matron has other plans for me." Kai whispered. "Something happened earlier in the kitchen and I think they're going to send me away for-for a while."

"Kai no!" Nya ran up and threw her arms around him. "You can't go."

"This could be your chance. You could have a family again."

"Not without you!" She cried.

"Are you sure? I'm just holding you back."

Nya punched his chest. "No! You're not. You're my brother and we're there for each other. Just like mom said."

"We'll have to run away. It'll be hard." Kai warned.

Nya grinned impishly. "We can handle it. After all, we're doing it together."

Kai nodded. That was it then. They were going to strike off on their own. "We need to grab our stuff before sneaking out. Can you get your clothes and things and bring them back here? Without waking your roommates?"

Nya smirked. "I'll be as quiet as a ninja."

"Good. I'll meet you back here then. Remember if anyone sees us it's all over."

"You worry too much," but Kai could see sparks of uncertainty in Nya's eyes.

He gave her a lopsided smile. "Someone's got to. See you soon." With that Kai flipped off the lightswitch and slipped back softly down the hall.

It only took ten minutes to throw their few possessions into pillowcases and blankets, and grab some food from the kitchen. From the bathroom Kai lead Nya to the back door. With one last glance behind them, the sibling stole into the night.

Crickets chirped and a gentle breeze ruffled Kai's hair. The night was warm, which was good since they had a long walk ahead of them. Though the back yard was fenced in a gate opened to the woods behind. Another place the kids were forbidden to go without an adult, but that didn't matter anymore.

It was much darker under the cover of the trees. Nya scooted closer to Kai but he didn't mind. He would never admit it to Nya but the darkness unnerved him too. A flashlight might have been a good addition to their supplies. Too late now. After a few minutes their eyes adjusted enough to avoid running into any trunks. Occasional lights flickered through the waving branches.

"Are we gonna go home?" Nya's voice was small in the darkness.

"I thought about it but that's probably where they expect us to go. We need to stay hidden. Ninjago City will do that."

Nya shot Kai a look. "The city? Won't there be more people to see us?"

"Yeah but they won't know us. And there's more places to hide than in our village."

Nya frowned but nodded in assent. "M'kay."

Taking Nya's hand Kai led their trek toward the twinkling city lights in the distance. Several hours later neither one of them expected their adventure to be so tiring. And boring, if Kai was being honest with himself.

When Nya was leaning more on Kai than her own feet he began to look around for somewhere to spend the rest of the night. After a few more minutes a small rock alcove became visible in the shadows. ' _That'll work_.'

He led Nya over and set one of their blankets on the ground. Nya collapsed onto it and was asleep before Kai could even set his stuff down.  
Kai sat down and pulled a blanket over both of them.

"Night Nya. Love you."


	7. Forged by Fire 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N- This one is covers a large chunk of time. I didn't really want to split it up since it's all within one "chapter" of Kai and Nya's life and will (sorta) set up the last chapter of the arc. (Kai is 11 and Nya 8 at the beginning of the chapter.)

Nya huddled against Kai under their shared blanket. The October air cast a chill over the city that their threadbare clothes couldn't handle, even when buffered by the little shack the siblings had claimed as home. They'd managed to make it the last three months and were learning the ropes of city street living. Most importantly they'd found the best areas to scrounge for food, though what they did find didn't always keep them from going to bed hungry.

Privately Kai wasn't sure if they'd be able to continue once winter set in. While the winters were on the moderate side in this part of the country, the night temperatures could drop below freezing. Still neither sibling would trade it if it meant staying together.

Nya's weight pressed more fully into Kai and her breathing deepened. Gently Kai folded his section of their blanket over her before leaning his head back against the wall, doing his best to keep from disturbing her. She hadn't been sleeping well lately and she was noticeably thinner than when they'd left the orphanage. Kai shot a glance at their pillowcase serving as a food bag. Two little lumps, a half sleeve of crackers and a hunk of bread, was all that was left for tomorrow's meals. Not really enough to cut it.

But there wasn't really anything he could do about it at the moment. They'd made it this far they could continue to make it. For now. Kai just wasn't sure if this was the life he wanted for Nya, for the both of them. It was hard though to think about the future when day to day survival demanded the bulk of his attention. He would eventually have to figure something else out. _'But not tonight... not... tonight.'_ Kai's thoughts trailed off as slipped into an uneasy slumber.

A skittering noise jerked him awake. Kai sat up, looking around frantically. It was still dark but as his eyes adjusted he could make out the interior. Nothing appeared disturbed. That didn't mean someone or something wasn't outside though. As quietly as he could, Kai rose from his place on the floor. Nya stirred at the sudden loss of body heat, but rolled over without waking.

The door was still locked from the inside. There weren't any windows, but the rough wooden slats hadn't been attached securely together which allowed for glimpses outside. Frowning in concentration Kai watched for movement. Nothing. Cautiously Kai crept back to his spot by Nya, remaining on edge for a long time.

The next thing Kai knew sunlight was peeking through the walls. Sitting up Kai rubbed the sleep from his eyes. A swift glance around the room ensured nothing out of place. Nya stirred beside him.

"It's too early." She rolled the blanket over her head.

"Says you, not the sun." Kai stole the blanket back eliciting grumbles from his younger sister. "We've got stuff to do today."

Biting back a retort Nya rose to her feet. "Do we at least having anything to eat?"

Kai nodded, turning to their food bag, only to stop short upon seeing it. The bag was decidedly lumpier, for lack of a better term, than it had been yesterday. Hurriedly he opened it to see a package of hard cheese and jerky, two extra cans of beans along with a couple apples. Kai stared at them all in shock.

Seeing the look on his face Nya leaned over, "What is it?"

"I- uh..." Kai trailed off as Nya squealed.

"Apples! I haven't had one in so long. Thank you Kai."

"Sure, yeah." _'How the heck did these get here?'_ Confused, and slightly creeped out, Kai was thankful nonetheless for the smile on Nya's face. It wasn't something he'd seen a lot recently. _'Thank you. Whoever you are.'_

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

_Three months later_

Heads low, Kai and Nya walked through the streets after finishing a "supply run." It was slower than either preferred but they knew from experience that going faster would garner unwanted attention. As it was their bag and clothes drew some curious, and occasionally disgusted, looks.

Nya self consciously tugged at the collar of her jacket. It, along with the rest of their clothes, had been snagged from bags sitting outside a donation center after hours. They already had their share of wear, but an inevitable layer of dirt covered them. As much as Nya disliked that, it did add an extra layer of insulation to ward off the cool January temperatures. ' _Beggars can't be choosers.'_ She thought grimly.

They passed an electronics store with several TVs in the window. An add for a local kindergarten played soundlessly on one of them. Nya stopped, watching the images of books, binders and markers with interest.

Kai only went another two steps before realizing she wasn't by his side. "Nya?" He turned to see her staring longingly at the tv. The commercial elicited a grimace from Kai. "It's getting late. We need to get back."

Nya dragged her eyes to Kai. "Okay."

With obvious reluctance she matched her pace with Kai's. He stayed quiet, unsure what exactly the commercial was making Nya think about. With six months of nearly exclusive company with his sister, Kai knew he had no chance to accurately guess what was going on inside her mind. If she wanted to, Nya would tell him when she was ready. This time it only took two blocks.

"Do- do you think we could go back to school?"

That brought Kai to a halt. "What?"

"School, you know, where you learn?"

Kai gripped his backpack straps, looking away from Nya's pleading eyes. "I don't know. Probably not." He muttered the last bit. She still heard him.

"But why not? I liked school." Nya tugged at Kai's wrist.

"Yeah, 'cause you were good at it." Kai couldn't stop the bitterness in his voice. That had been another point the staff at the orphanage loved to bring up when comparing the siblings. Suffice it to say school had not been his strong suit.

"So?"

Kai resumed walking. "We already learned reading, writing and numbers. What else is there?"

"I don't know! That's why I want to go." Nya threw her hands in the air. "Mr. Tanam said education would take us farther in life if we worked hard at it."

Kai flinched at the name, memories of his and Matron's conversation that last night echoing mockingly in his mind. "No." It came out harsher than he intended but Kai kept going. "The only way we can go back to school is if they put us back in the system. If that happens then you and I will get split up right away."

"You don't know that!"

"Yes, I do!" Kai yelled.

Nya stepped back and narrowed her eyes. "Maybe that wouldn't be a bad thing." She turned from him and ran in the direction of their shelter.

Kai felt like he'd been sucker punched. She didn't mean that. She couldn't. He wanted to scream but there were people around. Biting back that impulse Kai took off his backpack and threw it at the ground. Heedless of the food it carried, Kai kicked it as hard as he could. It soared down the sidewalk, hitting the side of a building and flopping just out of sight down an alley.

Breathing heavily Kai realized damaging his bag, and the food inside, was probably not the best way to vent his anger. Kai rounded the corner and picked it up. It was a little dirty, but not too worse for wear. Turning on his heel he made to leave when a rattling came from some nearby trash cans. Instantly on high alert Kai spun around, but no one was there. ' _I'm just imagining things. Too much time on the streets.'_ Shaking his head Kai pushed by the cans when something shiny in one of the partially covered bins caught his eye.

_'I need to get back to Nya....'_ But his curiosity won out. Opening it Kai found 2nd and 4th grade primers of math and reading, still in their wrappings. Kai stumbled back, fear and confusion warring within him. _'How-what? That can't be a coincidence!'_ This was too weird. Looking around Kai noticed there was a curious absence of people compared to the numbers that had been walking the street only moments ago.

Gently picking them up Kai slid the books in his bag- after making sure none of the food parcels burst. At least now he had something he could take to Nya. ' _Oh man, Nya!'_ Kai took off toward the shack, chest tightening the closer he got. Would Nya be there? Would she let him talk to her?

With no small amount of trepidation Kai scrambled in. Nya was sitting against the wall, arms wrapped around her knees.

"Nya?" Kai asked hesitantly. Her head jerked up and Kai could see that her eyes were red. "I-"

"I'm sorry." She cut him off. "I didn't mean it. I do want to be with you." Jumping up she ran and clung to him.

Relief flooded Kai. "It's okay." He wrapped his arms around her.

"I didn't know if you would come back after what I said." Nya's whisper was so quiet Kai almost missed it.

"I'm your brother remember, you're stuck with me."

Several quiet seconds passed before Kai remembered what he'd brought home. "I have a surprise."

Gently peeling Nya off him he pulled open his bag. "As I was coming home these were in a trash can." He handed her the books.

Nya looked at them dumbfounded. "Those are strangely specific to throw away."

"That's kinda what I thought." Kai rubbed his forehead.

This wasn't the first time something like that had happened, some mysterious guardian seemed to want to help them. Or they just had some crazy luck. Kai was more inclined toward the former.

"We can start here. Then figure out what's next later on."

Nya toyed with the zipper of her jacket. "I've actually been thinking about that. Before today. Going to school would be cool, but that'd probably only happen if we were back in the system. Like you said." She paused before looking up at Kai. "When we go out for stuff I've been looking at the library. Kids go in by themselves all the time. We can find books and read there. And a lot of the trashes around here have tossed out pens and half used notebooks we could use to copy things down since we don't have a card."

"You've thought a lot about this haven't you?"

Nya gave a sheepish smile. "Maybe."

"I don't know. We'd have to be super careful on timing. And about how we look. Our clothes are kinda sketchy..." Kai frowned but Nya's pleading eyes wouldn't let up. "No promises, but maybe- _maybe_ \- we can look into it." The way her face lit up Kai knew he was screwed. One way or another they'd be at the library soon.

Three days and two scrubbed outfits later, he was right.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

_8 months later_

Kai woke up feeling miserable. His head was pounding and he felt too warm. As he tried to sit up a wave of dizziness rolled over him. Giving up, Kai carefully lowered himself back to the floor. He slowly turned to look toward Nya's bed, but it was empty. _'Where is she?'_ He sluggishly wondered. A sudden spike of nausea hijacked his thoughts. _'Oh, no.'_ Dizzy or not Kai needed to move.

Forcing himself to his (unsteady) feet, Kai struggled to control the bile rising in his throat. He was barely able to make it out the door before the contents of his stomach came up. And up, and up until Kai was dry heaving on the gravel.

When his diaphragm finally lay still Kai leaned heavily against the wall. _'This isn't good.'_ That was the last coherent thought Kai had before stumbling back to his blankets, passing out before he made it all the way down...  
  
  


A voice hovered over him. Sweet, gentle, but very worried. At least that's what the tone sounded like. Kai couldn't make out the words. He tried to open his eyelids but they felt as heavy as lead. Exhaustion washed over him and Kai was pulled back under...  
  
  


Something cold and wet trickled into his mouth. Kai reflexively swallowed, the liquid soothing his dry throat. Too soon it was gone.

"I'm glad you're drinking, you didn't take anything yesterday." The words sounded far away, like they were being spoken underwater. "Please Kai you have to wake up!"

Wetness touched him again, but this time it was on his hand. He forced his eyes open a crack to see a black haired girl at his side. In his half-lucid state it almost looked like, "Mom?" he slurred.

The girl looked up. "Kai! No it's me Nya. You have to stay with me, please!"

But Kai had already fallen back into his fevered dreams...  
  
  


Soft humming worked its way into his senses. It was horribly off key, but still peaceful, drawing him back. Kai worked to open his eyes, and this time they responded, albeit slowly. The room was blurry but he could make out Nya in their designated kitchen area heating a bowl over the fire.

"Ny-ya." It was quiet and raspy but a word nonetheless.

Nya jolted as if she'd been shocked. Whipping around she ran to Kai's side.

"Kai, you-you're actually awake!" Tears trickled down her face.

"Wha- what happened?"

"You've been sick. You had me so worried!"

"How long...?"

"Three days."

Kai's head spun. "Whoa."

Nya sat down next to Kai. Kai moved his blanket away and tried to pull himself up. As he did a damp rag he hadn't noticed fell from his forehead.

"I don't think it's wise for you to be moving just yet." Nya applied gentle pressure to Kai's shoulder.

Small as it was Kai didn't have the strength to push through. He flopped back down, too tired to try and argue. He looked down, realizing for the first time he was wearing different clothes than what he remembered going to bed in.

"What...?" He gestured vaguely toward his shirt.

Nya flushed bright red. She hastily walked back over to the soup, her back to Kai. "Uh, yeah. You, uh, needed... new ones. A few times."

Kai felt heat rise in his face. "Oh."

"Yeah, well. Let's forget about it. _Please."_ Grabbing the bowl she put some liquid on a spoon and held it out to Kai.

Kai was more than happy to let it slide. "Thanks. For helping me."

"What are sisters for?" Nya sucked in a deep breath, but was silent as she fed Kai the rest of the bowl. When he finished she set the dishes down, pushing the spoon around the empty bowl. "You were super hot and not really with it. I couldn't get much water or broth in you. At-at one point you thought- you thought I was mom. That scared me more than anything because I was afraid you were... dying."

Kai closed his eyes. "I think... I kinda remember that. You looked so much like her that I really thought you were her."

"I-I was really worried. You kept giving me hope you were coming out of it, only to go unconscious again. If-If you hadn't gotten better soon, like tomorrow, I was going to- going to call an ambulance."

She picked up the rag and a nearby water bottle, turning so Kai couldn't see her face clearly. The shaking of her shoulders spoke volumes. Kai propped himself on his elbows, as far as he could manage in his current state.

"Hey," Nya's hands froze but she didn't look back at him, "I know this must have been scary for you to handle alone. Then having to decide whether or not to go for help and risk exposing us to the police. But thanks for not giving up on me."

Nya set the objects down before abruptly throwing herself at Kai's chest. He collapsed with a huff but didn't say anything, clinging to her as much as she was to him. After only a minute or two Kai's vision started to waver.

"I love you but I gotta sleep. My body is still out of it."

Nya sniffed and nodded. "I'm sure. It-it's just good to have you back." She went to take care of the dishes but stopped. "Oh, and Happy Birthday."

That took him by surprise. Even before he'd gotten sick he hadn't remembered it was coming up. He was 12 now. _'That's weird.'_ This wasn't really how he wanted to spend his birthday, but that was okay. His new year started with a reminder that Nya had his back, and that was the best gift he could get.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

_1 year and 9 months later_

The setting sun had already descended behind the skyscrapers, bathing sparsely lit streets in shadows. Kai turned down an alley a couple miles from the shack. Nya had gone to the library, again. She'd been spending a lot of time there, more than Kai cared for, so he had opted for a supply run. It had been a successful one too. Kai had some food cans in a bag and a bonus- a fairly intact blanket. The weight wouldn't be needed yet in the June heat, but their dirt floor could always use more cushioning.

A shrill scream came from nearby startling Kai. Not just any scream, that was _Nya's_ voice. The items in Kai's hands went flying as he took off in her direction. _'Stupid, stupid. Why did I let her out of my sight!?'_ He rounded a corner to see two black-clothed men holding Nya by her arms.

She thrashed about, but her slight frame was dwarfed by the two thugs. She screamed again and the men jerked her forward, hard.

"Quiet!" One of them, a towering brute with blonde shaved hair, lifted his fist but Kai was already barreling their way.

"Let her go!" Kai launched himself at the man.

The assailant grunted in surprise and stumbled back, but he kept his grip on Nya's arm. Kai's scrawny body apparently more of a nuisance than an actual problem. The man aimed a vicious kick at his stomach, sending him sprawling.

"Kai!" Nya's efforts redoubled in an attempt to reach her winded brother. Focused as she was she missed the look shared between her captors.

The dark-haired man, who hadn't been about to hit Nya, abruptly let her go and charged toward the dazed Kai. The other man pulled Nya toward himself. He wrapped his arms around her torso, picked her up and took off running.

Kai looked up just in time to see the man bending over him. He rolled quickly to the side, then pushed himself to his feet. The thug lunged at him but Kai dodged to the right. Spinning quickly Kai aimed a kick to the man's knee. There was a crunching noise and he howled in pain. Ignoring him Kai looked for Nya.

The blonde thug was dragging her down the street where a black car idled. Nya screamed again and threw her head back, hitting his chin. The man grunted in pain. Warm liquid dripped into her hair but she ignored it. Repeating the action this time the man lost his grip on her and she fell to the ground.

Kai sprinted toward them and jumped on the man's back. He growled and twisted around to reach him, barely missing Nya who crawled out of his way. 

"Leave. Her. Alone!" Kai snarled hitting him as hard as he could on the head and shoulders.

Angry now the man managed to get a grip on Kai's shirt and yanked. There was a ripping sound and Kai felt cool air on his back.

"Get off him!" The man had momentarily forgotten Nya, but accompanying her words was a brutal kick to a very _tender_ area. He dropped like a stone.

Kai, not wasting a moment, jumped off his back before the thug hit the pavement. Running to Nya he grabbed her hand and yanked her down the road. There were precious few seconds before the sounds of pursuit followed the siblings. It was hard to tell if both or only one man was coming after them, but it didn't really matter. They were still being hunted. Despite the men (or man's?) size and probable speed, Kai and Nya had the advantage of home- or at least familiar- turf.

Two roads over an abandoned apartment building sat empty. Kai leapt on a discarded trash can, his hand latching on the fire escape. It shrieked loudly, but jerked down with Kai's weight.

"Come on!" The sibling scrambled up the ladder.

Kai pulled it up behind him, quickly locking it back in the upright position. Running down the hall Kai led Nya to a room closer to the road. Crouched beneath a window, the realization of what was going on started settling in. People, definitely _not_ the authorities, were after them. Grunting filtered through the broken glass. Nya let out a small gasp. Kai lurched over and put a hand over her mouth. Stillness descended.

Holding his breath Kai slowly raised his head to the windowsill and looked down. The blonde man Nya decked stood directly below them. Kai jerked back down.

"We need those brats!" A deep voice growled.

"You're the one who let the boy get the drop on you." Apparently the second man wasn't as injured as Kai had hoped.

A sound Kai could only describe as a hostile grunt emanated from the man. "They can't have gotten far. You know the boss needs them in particular."

Well _that_ didn't sound good.

"Let's move."

"Easy for you to say."

So Kai had done some damage. He peeked out again to see the men stalking away from them down the road. Adrenaline sharpening his vision, Kai noticed a tattoo on the back of both their necks. An ugly orange snake bursting out of an egg. At that moment the dark haired man glanced backward. Their eyes locked and the world froze for a moment.

"There they are!" His shout broke the spell.

Nya shook as Kai dragged her out of the room. The side exit was the closest, and probably the one the men would take. That left the front door. _'Come on, come on.'_ The street was mercifully empty but the sound of someone running approached from around the corner.

"Targets spotted."

_'No!'_ Kai turned down an alley, fear overriding logic. The side road was a dead end with only a dumpster against the wall. Kai couldn't think. There was nowhere to go, they were boxed in. Kai shoved Nya behind the dumpster and squeezed in behind her. Closing his eyes and tightening his arms around Nya, Kai waited for the thugs to grab them.

A loud crash rang through the street followed by two startled, wordless exclamations. Wacking sounds followed and a gold sheen glowed faintly off the buildings. Just as suddenly everything went quiet.

Kai scrambled off Nya and the two looked at each other wide eyed. What the heck just happened? Cautiously peeking around the dumpster the sibling saw their pursuers out cold. The alley was eerily silent.

Not wasting time on trying to figure it out Kai turned to Nya. "Hurry, before they wake up."

Nya needed no encouragement. Together they sprinted down the street, not aiming for any particular place, just _away_. Several minutes and streets later a construction site housing several large concrete cylinders appeared in the twilight. At the end of their strength, they ran into the yard and collapsed behind one twice the height of Nya.

"Wha-what was... that?" Nya asked through gasps. She shook violently and Kai wrapped his arms around her. But he didn't have an answer for her question.

Sure some people had chased them off their property, and the police had looked for them a couple times when someone called about street kids, but this was entirely new. They'd been _targeted_. Kai did not like it one bit.

There were occasional whispers of people who vanished off the streets. No one seemed to know where, but the guessing as to why made Kai sick to his stomach. Yet this didn't match any of those stories. Whoever these people were they'd known who Smiths were, not some kidnappers seizing an opportunity. This was something new entirely.

They sat quietly but on high alert as night deepened. Nothing moved. It was probably an hour past sunset when Kai finally allowed himself to relax. Nya felt the tension leave him and looked up.

"What are we gonna do?" Nya's voice was small in the open air.

Kai was quiet for a minute. "We can't stay here. There's no cover, but I don't know if they know where we're living. We can't risk going back right now."

"So, what then?"

"Let's double back to the library. One of the windows doesn't lock." Kai felt Nya's glare even in the dark. "Hey I only enjoy reading so much. We can stay there for the night and slip out before dawn."

With no better plan Kai double checked the area for signs of movement. It was quiet.

"Back-roads only."

"You don't have to tell me twice."

It took twenty long minutes to get to the library. Every single noise set the both of them on edge. When the building finally came into sight it was all Kai could do to keep himself from running towards it. Making sure no one was around they slipped along the edge toward the back. Kai stopped at a window and popped off the screen. He wiggled the glass around for a few seconds until the sides gave with a small moan. Boosting Nya up Kai waited until she had crawled in to follow behind her. Once he scrambled in he closed the window behind them.

Breathing heavily the two made their way toward couches in the back that were provided for library patrons. They collapsed onto one, Nya staying as close to Kai as she possibly could.

"What if they come back?"

Kai had never heard Nya sound so afraid. He seriously wanted to punch the guys into next week for that. "Don't worry I'll protect you." Hollow words, but Kai would do everything to stand by them.

Nya eventually drifted off, exhaustion taking its toll on her, but Kai didn't sleep a wink the rest of the night.  
  


_Undisclosed location:_

A man in a well fitting suit stared into an aquarium, back turned to his underlings. The two hired muscle, both sporting an assortment of bruises and cuts, didn't need to see his face to know he was furious.

"I send you out for one, simple job and you can't even accomplish that! They're just two kids."

"With all due respect sir, we had them in our hands. Someone-something- got the drop on us while we were closing in."

"Hmmm, you didn't see what or who it was?"

"No sir." The thug with a broken nose crossed his arms. "And we weren't told they'd have protection when you hired us for this job."

"You were told to expect resistance."

"From kids! Not from some golden blur."

The boss abruptly spun around. "What did you say?"

"A golden blur-" He was cut off when the man inhaled sharply.

The two hired hands shared a look. In all their deals with this guy they'd never seen him lose his composure like that.

"You are dismissed."

"I'm sorry?" Hobbling forward a pace the dark haired man didn't look very threatening, but his fists still worked just fine if it came to it.

"If someone is watching out for those brats that same someone may be interested in finding them should they go missing. I do not want anyone getting close to the operation we have going down here."

He had a point, but it wasn't the first time the thugs had made someone disappear. Nonetheless they knew better than to ask any more questions.

"Whatever you say."

"And let me make myself clear; this conversation does _not_ leave the room. No one, and I mean _no one_ is to know about what happened today."

He glared hard at the two men. They nodded, knowing their bank accounts would reflect the promise.

"Dismissed."

They left without a backward glance. The boss turned back to the sphere inside the aquarium. "So you're keeping an eye on them are you?" The empty room made no reply but the man chuckled maniacally. "Fine, you can keep them. I've got the bigger prize and there's nothing you can do about it."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

_11 months later_

Nya set down her book. The cover boasted some hot rod engine that Kai couldn't make sense of. "I want to work with mechanics."

Kai cocked an eyebrow. "Come again?"

"Engines make sense to me. I want to try working on them."

"You're 12." Kai drew the words out slowly. It was apparently the wrong thing to say.

Nya's face flushed red. "So? I've read a lot about them. I know working with the real thing will be different but I want to try." Nya's gaze turned distant. "I-I think I can do it. And I'm not just saying that." She glared at Kai. He held up his hands defensively, and she continued, "It seems to click for me. At the very least it might be helpful to start actually making money rather than "finding" things people have left behind."

"Hmmm." She made a very good point. Kai looked around the library, "Uh, okay, but where are you going to find tools?" Handheld tools, let alone functioning power tools, were not things to -if ever- cross their path while scrounging for supplies.

"I don't know, yet." Nya looked down at the book in her hands. "But I'll figure it out." She looked up at Kai and cocked an eyebrow. "Don't pretend I haven't seen you looking at metalworking books."

Kai's face flushed. "Yeah, so?"

"So I think you want to try and learn a skill too. One that, oh I don't know, runs in the family?"

"No comment." Kai shoved the book he was holding under a small pile that had accumulated at their table.

Nya's posture slumped slightly. "Well, if you do decide to try it, I think you'll be great." She gathered their scattered books and put them in the reshelf bin.

Kai honestly hadn't realized she noticed the books he'd been getting. He should have though, not much seemed to escape Nya's notice. Especially since the incident. Almost a year had passed but both Kai and Nya were still looking over their shoulders. Kai had relocated them to a shed closer to the north edge of town. Which, coincidentally, was close to a car cemetery. If Nya could find something to work with she'd have her choice of old junk for practice.

"Ready?"

Nya nodded and waved bye to the librarian who'd become familiar with the Smith kids over the past couple years. Though not to the point that she knew they were parentless and technically homeless. They walked in relative silence. They were almost back to their home base when Nya spoke up.

"I'm not pretending to myself it'll be easy, but I want to try. There's several garages around here that are across from some of our lookout posts. If nothing else I can watch what the workers do. They probably dump some old tools from time to time."

"Probably."

Nya shot a suspicious glance at Kai. Deciding he wasn't mocking her she continued, "I know we haven't come across any local blacksmiths but we could start searching for metal stuff for you to practice with."

Kai couldn't contain a snort. "It's not that easy."

"No but it's a start. And you'll have to practice if you want your own shop one day."

_'Not sure if that'll happen, but...'_ "We'll see."

Nya paused at their door frame. "We've made it this far Kai. Some days I'm really not sure how, but we're doing ok. If we can make a start with these maybe we'll- we'll have a real place to call home one day."

Kai looked around the inside of their shed. It was big enough for them both to lay down with a couple extra feet to spare. Two sad looking crates held various possessions and their bed rolls were tucked snugly against the wall. Definitely a living space, not a home.

An ache rose in Kai's chest. What did their old home look like now? Was anyone living there? He shoved the feeling down. It didn't matter. Not yet.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

_1 year and 11 months later._

"Do you think we should do this?" Nya's voice held a tremor in it.

Kai glared at her over the bike box he was securing. "What kind of question is that?"

"It- it's just... it's been so long... We have a way of life figured out here." She subconsciously rubbed the handlebars of the motorbike they were loading.

"You were the one initially who wanted us to do something with our lives. You've been able to figure out your niche." Kai gestured to the bikes. They were visibly a patchwork creation, but were sleek in their own way. They'd been put together from a combination of pieces Nya's been able to find or buy after selling some electrical doodads she'd created. And Nya had fixed them so they could ride like nobody's business. She hadn't been wrong when she said mechanics clicked for her. "I still have to nail down mine."

Nya nodded, but still looked unsure. "What if- what if someone else is there?"

"That's what we have to check out."

Nya pursed her lips but didn't press the issue. She handed Kai a satchel of food which he secured to his bike. He didn't mean to be so terse, but his own emotions were playing pinball inside his head.

Today was the day they were finally going back. Kai wasn't sure he could call it home anymore. It had been more than nine and a half years after all. There was a possibility the house wasn't even standing, let alone empty, but it was time to take that chance.

In the last two years he'd learned everything he could about blacksmithing from books and the small computer Nya fashioned. There was only so much he could try in their isolated shed- a shed that was not remotely equipped to handle a fire large enough to temper iron. All the miniature practice may have built up his strength, but it didn't men he could create anything for real. Kai redoubled his efforts in tightening down their supplies. They'd cross that bridge when they came to it.

Strapping on the last box Kai stepped back to look at his work. Everything they owned fit in two backpacks and four bike boxes. Not much, but it was more than they started out with.

"Ready?"

In response Nya strapped on her helmet. "Let's just hope no police officer looks too closely. You might be 16, but I don't know if I can pass for it."

"We'll be careful." Nya cocked an eyebrow. "What? I'm always careful." At Nya's continued disapproving look he grinned sheepishly. "Okay I will be this time."

With that there was nothing left to say. Kai turned to the road. Taking a deep breath he popped up the kickstand and started the engine. Without a backward glance Kai and Nya headed out of the city.

It would take several hours to get back to Ignacia. Hours that provided too much time to think.

Kai would never admit it, but fear of what they might find plagued his mind. Would there be evidence that their parents returned after he and Nya were taken in by the authorities? Had someone else moved in? But as gnawing as a toothache was the question, what had happened to Ray and Maya? Sure it had been a constant source of internal anger/frustration/pain over the years, but returning back to where they had been a family forced him to face it head on. And that was one area of his mind that Kai was afraid to touch. Afraid the truth could be that their parents had willingly abandoned them...

A honk from behind him snapped his attention back to the road. He looked up to see he'd drifted across the median. Thankfully no vehicles were coming. Nya gunned her engine so they were parallel and motioned toward an approaching gas station. Shaking his head slightly to clear his thoughts he gave Nya a thumbs up.

They pulled in and began to fill up their tanks. Nya kept her helmet on as she walked over to Kai. "You okay?"

"Hmmm?" Kai suddenly found the pump very interesting.

"Kai you were heading into the other lane. And you don't have a phone to blame it on."

Kai sighed. "I was just thinking and must have zoned out."

"Uh, huh. We can take a longer break if you need it."

"No I'm fine. I'll pay and let's head out. We're over halfway there and I think we can make it before nightfall."

Nya was quiet for a moment. "If you say so."

She headed back to her bike while Kai went in to pay. Nya knew Kai was struggling, but wasn't one to enjoy displaying his emotions in front of others. On the streets it pegged you as an easy target. _'I'm scared too but no matter what we find we'll make do, just like we have been.'_

The remaining drive time passed uneventfully but apprehension grew in both of them as they neared the town limits. It didn't look very familiar to the siblings, having been so young when they left and now with so much time passing... it didn't feel like a homecoming. Their old house was on the outskirts of town. Kai kept to the outlying roads, not wanting to drive through the town itself just yet.

In the waning light Kai felt a foggy sense of deja vu as he looked around the countryside. They were getting close. The sun was falling rapidly now, they would only have a half hour or so of light left.

A few minutes later they bridged a small creek at the bottom of a hill. Nya shot a look in Kai's direction. She knew this place. Before they reached the top of the hill Kai pulled off to the side of the road and cut his engine. Nya followed, not quite sure what he was planning. She drew close noticing how he was breathing hard.

"Let's walk the rest of the way up." His voice was tight and lacking any of his usual bravado. "If there's- if there's people...there I'd rather they not know we're here."

Nya nodded, not trusting herself to speak. Any extra noise seemed like it would shatter the reality around her. They pulled their bikes well off the road and behind a small clump of trees. Kai hesitated only a moment before walking the rest of the way up the hill. Nya followed at a slower pace. This was her past, one she barely remembered.

Kai paused at the top, waiting for Nya to join him. Fighting the fear swelling within her Nya crested the top. A small, brown, two-story house sat quietly 100 yards below them. Nya took Kai's hand and squeezed it hard.

For a long minute the two stared at the structure. A relic from another life. Then with a gentle tug on Nya's hand, Kai started down the hill. He carefully scoped the area. The grass was long, not to the point that it looked like no one ever came by, but the driveway didn't look like anyone had gone up it in a while.

"I don't think anyone's home." Kai's voice was so soft Nya could hardly hear him. Treading carefully they approached the house. "I'm going to look inside."

Nya wasn't sure how great of an idea that was, but she didn't have a better one. Kai walked up to the closest window and peered inside. After only a couple seconds he let out a gasp and stumbled back a pace, his face as white as a sheet.

"Kai what is it?!"

"I- It- There-" Kai couldn't seem to find the words he wanted. He stopped and inhaled sharply through his nose. "It doesn't look any different."

"You mean no one's changed the furniture?" Nya leaned forward to look for herself.

"No, well yes, but I mean it looks like our stuff is still there."

As her eyes adjusted to the dim interior she saw what Kai meant. Vaguely familiar forms of a couch and chairs lined the living room, but several family photos lined the walls. Photos of the Smith's from ten years ago.

Nya leaned heavily against the wall. "I guess that answers the question if anyone moved in. But why leave it alone?"

Kai shook his head. "I don't know. Fear? Conspiracy? No one wanted it?" Kai drifted to the front door. Kneeling down he reached inside a small hole cut into the door jam. With trembling fingers he withdrew the contents. "The key is still here too."

"If someone else really did buy it they'd probably have changed the locks..." Nya's voice trailed off as Kai fit the key into the handle and turned.

A gentle click sounded. With wide eyes the siblings looked at each other. Then tentatively, as if it would slam back in his face, Kai pushed the door open and stepped inside.

"It's all still here." Nya gaped at the walls and furniture untouched beneath nine years of dust. "I'm not sure if I'm relieved or creeped out."

Kai nodded in agreement. "I didn't think..." He trailed off.

Nya ran a trembling hand along the wall. "It's like a ghost house. I barely remember what our life was like before... but being here brings back some memories."

Kai's eyes prickled but he chalked it up to the dust puffing up from their steps. "I'm going to go check the forge."

Nya was about to offer to come with him, but stopped at the look on his face. That was his and Ray's special place. She'd let him have a minute.

Kai stumbled out the door toward the forge. _'Will anything be left here?'_ Their house was one thing, but the tools in the forge were of much greater value. Kai paused at the door. _'I-I can't... I have to.'_ Taking a deep breath he entered the building.

He flicked on the light and looked around. The quiet space was just as Ray left it that day so many years ago, albeit dustier. Kai traced a finger along a half finished helmet. Ray's personal seal sat next to the cold forge. Apparently Ray hadn't had a chance to put it away. Falling heavily on his old stool Kai held the seal to his chest.

_'What happened dad? Why did you and mom leave us?'_ Kai fought to breathe around the rising lump in his throat. Whatever happened, it seemed likely his parents hadn't returned since that day either. Ray was religious in the upkeep of his tools and would never have allowed the forge to stay in its current state. _'But what does that mean?'_ The worst part of that question was Kai didn't think he'd ever learn the answer.

Setting down the seal Kai walked slowly around the room, putting the discarded tools away. As he neared the forge he caught sight of Ray's tinder box sitting on its shelf within easy reach. Kai picked it up and sat back down, toying with it in his hands. During their times together Ray had taken the time to explain what his different tools or materials did. Though time had dimmed his memory he was certain he'd never seen Ray use the fire starting aid. The forge was always crackling when Kai entered.

He wasn't sure how long he sat there staring at it. His mind was concentrated on a decade in the past. A soft tap at the door made him jump. Turning Kai saw Nya standing in the darkened doorway with a concerned look on her face. He hadn't even noticed night's descent. No wonder she came to see if everything was okay. Kai watched as she looked around owlishly, having hardly ever come into the forge when she was younger. Once she finished Nya made her way over to Kai. She sat on a nearby table but didn't say anything.

Kai returned his attention to the tinder box before finally saying, "Everything was the same. They haven't been back. In fact I don't think _anyone's_ been inside here since we left." A soft sigh passed Nya's lips. "Maybe- maybe then we can stay. I can try working at a real forge and we can have some stability for once. Dad's tools are here, and a lot of raw supplies... It doesn't look like anyone will care if we stay."

"If you think we can do it." Nya gave a small smirk, "It'll be nice to have a roof that doesn't leak."

Kai nodded in agreement. Weighing the box in his hand, Kai glanced from it to the cold forge. Acting on instinct he opened it and struck it over the fire. Sparks showered and quickly disappeared. Kai was about to strike again when a flame flickered into existence. Blowing gently at it Kai nurtured the flame until a small fire lit the room in a rosy glow. Kai settled back on the stool and together he and Nya watched the flames dance late into the night.


	8. Forged By Fire 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the final chapter in Kai and Nya's origin arc. Most of this one takes place during the pilot episodes, but I didn't want to completely reiterate what happened so there's several short time jumps between some of the events portrayed in the show, though others I felt necessary to leave in. The goal is to see what was going on from (mostly) Kai and Nya's perspective without feeling like you're just reading a transcript of the episodes, so there are some small differences. Also when the ninja travel back in time the skeletons say specifically to target Nya, so that's where some of this comes from. Fair warning this one turned out longer than any of my other chapters so far...

_2 years later_

_Deep in the Underworld...._

The cavern was dark and musty. A central fire pit and several torches mounted along the walls flickered with purple flames sending strange shadows dancing around the room. Seated on a throne near the fire a man, as black of skin and heart as the shadows enveloping him, brooded silently. The chair beneath him had been fashioned from the bleached bones of his enemies. It might have been more morbid if said enemies hadn't been reanimated skeletons- the native occupants of this cursed world that doubled as his prison. But not for much longer.

Bowing before his throne was a giant of a skeleton, his imposing build enforced by his four arms. Samukai, general of the skeletal forces and deposed leader of the underworld. His ability with the sword and to control the army stayed his would-be executioner's hand when he gained the advantage in their duel. In return for his life Samukai swore his allegiance to the newcomer and became general. It was a bond of necessity and both were only too aware.

"Sir, my scouts have just returned with information I think you'll be interested in. There's been sightings that your brother is on the move."

The deep growl that rumbled at those words would have made Samukai fear for his afterlife if he didn't have more to say. "My _brother_ is always on the move. How is that news?"

"We have confirmation he's putting together a team of elementals."

The man snorted contemptuously. "So he thinks he can remake the alliance? Look how well that held up last time."

The comment was more to himself than Samukai, but that didn't keep the general from replying. "True, but these fighters are young, the next generation of so-called heroes. What's more, he's gathered three of the elements of creation. Lightning, Ice, Earth- only Fire remains." Samukai pretended not to notice how the Underlord gripped his armrests.

"If he's assembling the legendary elements he's preparing for something- someone-else."

"The Green Ninja?"

"Bah." Scoffing the man leaned back against the throne. "The prophecy has been around almost as long as Ninjago itself. " He lapsed into silence. After a minute he seemed to remember he wasn't alone. "Why are you still here?"

Internally rolling his eyes Samukai merely bowed his head again. "Since he's going after the human masters it's only a matter of time before he goes after their Golden Weapons. More than that we've confirmed a map was drawn to where the Weapons lay."

"What!?" The Dark Lord's eyes flashed red. "I don't believe my brother would ever stoop to such a risk. If you are tricking me...!" The unsaid threat hung in the air.

"Risk though it may be, he took it. Apparently well before yours and his battle over them."

"Why is this _just now_ coming to my attention?"

"Because we only just now found a witness."

"Explain." His patience was waning fast.

"We waylaid a man from Ignacia. The home-"

"Yes the home of the masters of water and fire. Get on with it."

"Since you want anyone who could be associated with the masters carefully questioned, they asked him about your brother. Turns out he came through the village multiple times over the years which the man only remembered because not too many strangers make their way out to Ignacia. He remembered seeing him starting around 15 years ago."

"Right about the time the weapons vanished..." Waving the thought aside he glared down at Samukai. "So my brother went off visiting one of his friends. Hardly warrants there being a map."

"The witness claims the master of fire was distant for several weeks after that visit, but he was seen buying materials used to preserve parchment immediately after."

"That still doesn't mean a map was drawn. If you don't have substantial evidence-!"

"With all due respect sir, the master of fire himself made the slip up. Although the imbecile who heard him didn't understand the significance, with some... encouragement he told us the fire master muttered 'no one would ever find it' as he left the store, unaware of our witness's presence. Retirement seems to have made the master or fire sloppy."

The Dark Lord tapped his fingers on the armrests. "Still could be circumstantial evidence, but if there's a chance my brother left a map with him it's too good to pass up. What is the most recent report on my brother?"

"Yesterday he was headed east. We believe he's in route to Ignacia."

"So he's going for Ray?"

"Doubtful. Scouting missions report he's no longer there. In fact both the masters of fire and water vanished soon after your brother's visit."

"So the theory of a map might not be far off."

Samukai nodded. "That, but recently the masters' children have returned to the village. They've moved into their old smithy."

The Underlord frowned in thought. "Children?"

"Two- a boy and girl. Neither quite adults, but older than your-"

"Do _not_ mention him."

Visibly swallowing Samukai remained silent as his master mulled over the news.

"Hmmm. They may know their father's secret. Search the place. It's possible Ray left it there." A wicked smile grew on his face. "And bring me the girl. If she has her father's fire that's one less student for my brother. If not, she'll make good incentive to her brother and my brother should the map not be there." He rose from his throne and pointed to his general. "Mobilize the troops. You'll leave at once"

An emotion, so twisted it could hardly be called glee, rose within him as his general bowed and stalked out of the room. Shouting echoed through the caverns and soon the running of many feet could be heard.

Staring into the flames the Dark Lord shook with anger and anticipation. "Nearly ten years I've wasted down here. My name has become a jest, the boogeyman in children's stories. No longer. My _brother_ ," he spat out the word, "will not be able to stop me this time."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

_4 hours, 1 attack and 1 kidnapping later_

"They have my sister!" Kai's distraught yell filled the darkened courtyard. "How... why...?"

The world spun and Kai had to lean against the downed water tower to remain upright, gravity tugging dangerously at his metal breastplate. As he did his helmet slid over his eyes. He shoved it back and glared at the bearded old man in front of him. "You could have done something! I saw that twist- thing- you did, but you didn't do anything!"

The man sadly shook his head, beard swaying back and forth with the motion. "I am only one person. By the time the skeletons grabbed her they were beyond my reach."

"B-but _why_ did they take her?"

The old man hesitated. "I'm afraid that might be my fault. He must have realized this is where I hid the map, and chose to take your sister knowing I would have to go after the very tools I'm trying desperately to keep from him."

"Map? Map to what? And he who?"

The look of pity in the man's eyes made Kai all the more uneasy. "Many years ago the First Spinjitzu Master created Ninjago with the aid of four Golden Weapons; the Scythe of Quakes, Shurikens of Ice, Nunchucks of Lightning, and the Sword of Fire. His two sons were charged with protecting them, but the older brother became consumed with darkness and wanted them for himself.

"In an effort to keep them safe the younger brother secretly hid them and placed guardians over them. He drew a map if ever there was need for them to be found again and gave it to a friend to hide. Eventually learning what the younger had done, the older brother came after him in rage to try to force the younger to disclose the weapon's whereabouts. After a vicious battle the younger was able to cast the brother down to the Underworld."

"What does that have to do-?"

"The map was given to your father, to be protected from the Dark Underlord Garmadon. And I need to get the weapons back before he can find them."

At that Kai's legs did give out. The man rushed to his side. Kai was so disoriented he didn't wave off the help like he would have otherwise. Leaning on the man Kai feebly rose his feet.

"What-?" Kai shuddered closing his eyes but forced out, "what will he do to her?"

"He knows her value to us."

Kai glared at him. "That doesn't answer my question."

Suddenly looking years older, the man sighed. "In truth I don't know. He won't kill her, but I am unsure as to if he will hurt her."

Kai turned away, desperately trying to force down the tightness in his throat. "Then I have to go. Now!" Clenching his sword Kai made to go in the direction the skeletons disappeared.

The man shook his head. "The one leading the charge was Samukai, general of Garmadon's forces. He and his skeletons will have crossed into the Underworld by now and I currently have no means of getting us there. _But_ if you come with me I believe a way will open up to us to retrieve your sister. You hold the fire inside. I will train you to find and harness it. To become a Spinjitzu master." The old man placed a hand on Kai's shoulder but he shook it off.

Whirling to face him Kai barely kept from yelling, "Training? That will take too long! Whatever you may think of me is irrelevant. I'm not getting involved in your... sibling rivalry! I have to go get her, now! "

Turning on his heel Kai stalked away. A sudden blow to the helmet and sweep of the legs found him lying on his back, helmet discarded. The man's staff was poised inches from his chin.

"What the...?" Kai spluttered.

The man laughed condescendingly. "You think you can take them on? You're not even ready to face my pinky toe. Your spunk is admirable, but if you want to get your sister back you must control the fire inside. Then by unlocking Spinjitzu will you be able to take a stand before Lord Garmadon."

Kai bit back a retort. From where he lay he really wasn't in a position to say much. The man certainly had skill Kai could use right now, never mind the fact he was still a complete stranger. "Fine," he bit through his bruised pride, "when do we start?"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Nya looked around dizzily. Gloomy stone walls stared back. "Where- where am I?"

"In the Underworld." A low rasping voice responded.

Nya shrieked and look around for the speaker. A large white skeleton with four arms stood at her cell door. "What? Underworld? How.. what?" She suddenly gasped. "Does that mean I'm dead? Did you kill me? Why then am I in a cell?"

The skeleton scoffed. "You're not dead. At least not yet. And I said the Underworld, not Realm of the Departed. Get your realms right."

"But mortals aren't supposed to be able to go to the Underworld..." Nya's temper flared despite her surroundings. "Why did you bring me here?!"

The skeleton shrugged. "Boss thinks you're the key to getting out of this place. We'll have to see." He started to walk away. "Though I suppose if you're here long enough it'll seep the life out you of you sending you to the Departed Realm." At Nya's involuntary gasp he grinned menacingly. "Don't worry, you won't be here that long." He stalked away leaving Nya to her frantic thoughts.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

They started immediately. The old man, who revealed his name as Wu ("that's master or sensei to you") gave Kai 10 minutes to grab a spare set of clothes and a couple toiletries. Wu- *ow* sorry! _Sensei_ Wu- proceeded to pack some food and bedrolls for the two of them. The accuracy of his search for the items unnerved Kai.

Obviously he had known Kai's father, and therefore presumably been to the house before, but his intimate knowledge of where things were located couldn't easily be explained just by that. Especially since Ray and Maya hadn't lived in the house for over twelve years. Kai shrugged it off to ninja skills, but something in the back of his mind made him wonder if it was something else.

With the house locked Kai hurried to the forge. A pang went through his chest as he did a quick visual sweep. This place had just started to feel like home and now that was being ripped from them. Again. He locked the door and didn't look back.

Returning to the house Kai shouldered his pack and slipped his helmet back on his head.

"You won't be needing those where we're going." A voice at his side said.

Kai jumped two feet in the air. "Jeez, don't scare me like that!"

Sensei Wu ignored the comment, rapping his staff against Kai's helmet. "As I said these tools are for a samurai not a ninja. They must be left behind."

Clenching his teeth to keep from arguing Kai reluctantly discarded the armor. Master Wu nodded in approval and without another word started off down the hill.

The unnatural darkness that accompanied the skeletons' attack had given way to the soft glow of stars. Kai's whirling thoughts kept him occupied and his traveling companion didn't seem inclined to initiate conversation. Thus they traveled for several hours in relative silence.

As the night grew long Kai felt his body beginning to beg for rest. Working in the forge for long hours and keeping up with running had given Kai no short amount of stamina, but the pace Sensei Wu set tested his endurance like nothing had before. It was only the memory of Nya's retreating figure that gave Kai energy to fuel his steps.

The eastern sky was just beginning to gray when Sensei finally stopped. Kai sluggishly plodded on several feet before realizing he was walking alone. Turning around he saw Sensei Wu sitting cross legged on the ground. More exhausted than he could ever remember being in his life, Kai collapsed next to him.

"We'll rest here for a couple hours before moving on." Much to Kai's chagrin the man didn't even sound winded.

Kai lacked the energy to nod. Giving a grunt of acknowledgement he was asleep before Sensei could say anything else.

A firm knock to the head woke him long before he was actually ready to be awake.

"Ow."

Disoriented Kai snapped upright, rubbing the sore spot on his head. He looked around in confusion at the woods surrounding him, eyes landed on the older man leaning on a staff in front of him. Slowly memories of the day before trickled back into his awareness.

"Did you seriously hit me on the head?"

Sensei didn't respond. Settling himself on the ground he poured a cup of tea. Kai had no idea where the kettle or tea cup came from. His questions only doubled when a second cup seemingly materialized out of thin air. Sensei passed it to Kai, who took it more out of instinct than want. Kai sipped it while he dug through his bag for a granola bar. The flavor wasn't one Kai could name, but it wasn't as bad as he was expecting. More than that it had a surprisingly soothing effect on his nerves.

A small stream, that Kai hadn't noticed when they stopped due to exhaustion, bubbled cheerily on the outskirts of the clearing. Having finished the tea Kai rinsed his empty cup in it and splashed the cool water over his face. He felt a little more awake as he turned to hand the cup back to Sensei Wu. The man took it but didn't rise from the ground.

Irritated at the lack of response Kai started gathering his few possessions. It took all of five minutes and the old man hadn't budged an inch. Kai waited another minute before walking over to him. From where Sensei sat on the ground Kai toward over him. Kai cleared his throat. No response.

"Um- Sensei? Don't we have somewhere we need to go? You know, to save my sister?!" There was no answer. Kai let out a frustrated growl. "Every second counts! You said we were going to train! What does this have to do with learning martial arts?"

"Indeed." Sensei Wu didn't open his eyes. "An important concept you will need to master is focus. Many harrowing circumstances will clamor for your attention, but you'll have to stay in tune with yourself and your actions to remain in control of the fight."

"I can stay focused when I need to. I don't see how sitting still is going to help when the jerks who took her got away."

"Obsession is not the same as focus. That combined with patience are virtues much needed of a ninja."

Kai threw his hands in the air. "I'm a blacksmith not a ninja! And it's hard to be patient when I know my sister is a prisoner in the Underworld!"

"Ah, but doesn't even a blacksmith need patience to temper the metal just right?" Sensei Wu's eyes snapped open and bored into Kai's.

Kai opened his mouth to shoot back a retort, but the man's words sunk in and he snapped it shut. Nya had said almost the same thing right before the skeletons attacked. Kai's chest tightened and he turned away to hide the prickling in his eyes.

"It will take time to temper your own fire," Sensei's voice took on a gentler tone, "but it will be worth it. We'll find Nya, I promise."

They were just words but Kai felt their weight. This man would help him find Nya. One way or another.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Nya sat curled in the corner of her cell furthest away from the door. Her eyes warily snapped around toward any sound. Occasional skittering came from shadows within the cell, but thankfully nothing came too close. The skeleton guards who patrolled at regular intervals were the most frequent contributors. It seemed a bit of an overkill, since as far as she could tell she was the only prisoner. And even if she were to escape Nya had no way to return to the upper realm.

Thankfully she'd been left alone since that initial visit by the four armed freak. Her stomach rumbled. Well mostly thankfully- not that she would trust anything her captors offered. In this dim cave it was hard to tell how much time had passed, but her increasing hunger told of several hours.

She leaned her head against the wall, trying to keep her heart rate calm. Flashes of the abduction attempt when she and Kai were younger taunted her. _'You thought that was bad, how about now?'_ She'd been terrified then, but now... now Nya would trade anything to go back there rather than face her current situation.

Here, with her deepest fear playing out, it was worse than she'd ever imagined it being. Worse because, for the first time since their parents disappeared, she was completely and utterly alone.

Kai had seen what happened. He would try to find her, but as much as she loved and relied on her brother, she didn't see how he could get her out of this one. There was no way he even knew where she was. It wasn't like she really knew either. Sure she'd been told she was in the Underworld, but if the realm was anything like home it was probably huge.

Nya took a deep breath. _'How am I some key? There's nothing special about me. I don't even know if I'm an orphan- if anything that'd be better than the uncertainty. I lived on the streets for years and now Kai and I are barely scraping together a respectable living. There's no way Kai or I would be any sort of help for whatever these skeletons want.'_

How could a nobody matter that much?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kai looked wearily up at the cliff face before him. After two days of hard traveling he just wanted to collapse onto a bed. This was not what he had in mind when Sensei said they were almost there.

"We're _climbing_ that?"

"Our destination is at the top of this mountain. There your training will begin in earnest."

"Okay, sure, but how the heck am I supposed to get there without breaking my neck?"

The old man smiled. "By being very careful." Kai's glare expressed his opinion on the response. There was a gleam in the man's eye that seemed to say he was enjoying this. "You'll need to be light on your feet and able to infiltrate places people want to keep others out of. Consider this your next lesson."

Kai exhaled sharply through his nose but didn't bother trying to argue. He'd learned quickly over the last couple days that it did no good.

"Soooo how's this gonna go?"

Master Wu's eyebrows rose "You put your hands on the rock and use your muscles to pull yourself up, then repeat. I would have thought you know how to climb by now."

At this Kai did facepalm. "Okay, you know what, never mind."

Taking a deep breath Kai gripped a couple rocks jutting off the cliff. _'Here goes nothing. Preferably nothing includes not dying.'_ One trembling hand after another Kai began his ascent. _'Don't look down. Don't look down.'_ He repeated the mantra over and over.

Sooner than he'd expected his arms and legs trembled with fatigue. Gritting his teeth Kai forced himself forward. His frustration was not helped by the fact Sensei jumped up the cliff as nimbly as a mountain goat- as if he'd done this a million times before. It actually wouldn't be that big of a surprise if he had.

Further up a small ledge offered enough space to rest without needing to hold on. Kai pulled himself up and willed his muscles to stop shaking. Daring to peek downward Kai was shocked how far up he was. Forests spread out far into the horizon before giving way to smudge in the distance. _'Ninjago City.'_

It had been several months since Kai had been back to the city. Other than an occasional run for ore the siblings had no need, and little desire, to spend extendded time in the city. Part of him missed the place, but Ignacia had become home again. The locals were kind and looked the other way if they realized Kai was too young to be Nya's guardian- though having recently turned eighteen it wasn't as much of a worry.

"Come, we're nearly to the top."

Pulling his gaze and thoughts from the horizon Kai turned his attention back to the mountain. He couldn't see the peak but he took Sensei's word for it. One hand after another he resumed his climb.

Twenty minutes later he looked up to see the cliff stopped about thirty yards above him. _'Almost there!'_ In his fatigued elation Kai didn't pay close attention to where he placed his right hand. The rock crumbled under his touch. Kai's arm dropped abruptly to his side throwing his balance off kilter. Holding in a scream Kai gripped the mountain with his other three limbs as tightly as he could. His hand floundered for several long seconds before finding a secure hold.

Shaking Kai pressed his body into the rock trying to regain control of his breathing . _'That was too close!'_ He looked up to see Sensei only a few feet away, watching him impassively. To Kai's relief he didn't say anything, only continued his ascent after it was obvious Kai wasn't taking a one-way trip to the ground.

_'Okay, it's okay. You're okay. Just move already.'_ With trembling fingers, Kai forced himself onward. The minutes stretched on, but in reality it couldn't have been more than a quarter of an hour before he finally hauled himself over the edge of the cliff.

Panting heavily Kai lay on his back, pack and all, staring into the sky for several minutes. When he was fairly confident he could stand without falling over he pulled himself upright and looked around. A large stone wall stood only twenty feet from him, but his attention locked on many, many etchings cut into the face of the mountain maybe fifty feet to his left.

"There... were STAIRS.... this entire time?!?" Kai shouted between gasps. "I just scaled a mountain for nothing?"

Master Wu shook his head, a twinkle in his dark eyes. "Not for nothing. What I said at the bottom was true. There may be many times you're required to climb- be it a cliff, wall or structure. You proved to yourself that you are capable of such a feat."

Why did his words have to make so much sense? That still didn't mean he was letting the man off the hook. "I still could have fallen- I almost did! And if this is where you're from, why don't you have ropes or things to keep so we can climb safely?"

"Yet you did not fall. We don't have the luxury of time. Had I not thought you could make it I'd never have brought us this way. Rope only decrease your edge since you know you _can_ fall. Free climbing forces you to stay fully engaged."

Kai glared half-heartedly at him but let the matter drop. He was too tired to continue pressing the point.

Deliberately turning his back to the stairs, Kai took a good look at the place that would be his new, albeit hopefully temporary, home. It was an old one-story building. Gray stone accented with red paint at the corners walled off the building. A giant wooden gate sat open, allowing entry to the inside. Tightening the grip on his pack, Kai stepped through.

To his surprise he entered a large courtyard. Rooms connected together along the wall making a large circle. However it was a sign over the doors directly in front of him that caught his attention.

"A monastery!? You want me to learn to fight in a place of peace?"

Sensei Wu shook his head. "Not fight, _train_."

A small podium near the doors held a bronze dragon. With his staff Sensei flipped the dragon backward. A red button appeared underneath. With a flick the courtyard was transformed into a giant obstacle course.

Poles popped out of the ground leading to several whirling cylinders. The first and largest featured dummies swinging weapons while large maces swung into the walkway. Further on wooden posts with projections at the top, middle and bottom were clustered together in what looked like an agility test. Large punching bags, blunt swords and balance beams were tossed into the mix. At first glance it was just pure chaos.

"Tomorrow you'll begin practicing here. When you can complete the course you'll have the rudimentary skills needed to master Spinjitzu. From there we can start actively searching for a way to bring your sister home." He looked up at the waning light. "I suggest you get some rest. You'll need it."

With that Master Wu lowered the training course and beckoned to Kai. He followed Sensei to one of the doors lining the wall. Inside was a simple room. A cot, dresser and end table took up most of the space. Sensei indicated to another door which led to a small private bathroom.

"Thanks."

Nodding his head Master Wu left Kai to settle in.

It didn't take long to put his spare clothes and toiletries away. Kai hung his limp pack on the edge of the cot and sat down. He was so tired, but his mind raced a million miles a minute. Here he was, far from home preparing to learn a sacred, centuries old fighting technique to rescue his sister from a realm she shouldn't even be in. He rested his head in his hands. And he thought his life was crazy before.

Flopping backwards Kai stared at the ceiling until exhaustion carried him to sleep.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Nya stared at the plate of bread and apples in front of her. The ache in her stomach begged for it but she wouldn't, she couldn't. The whiny voices of her current guards drifted down the hall.

"Sir she hasn't eaten in two days! She's refusing anything except water. You know what Lord Garmadon-"

Nya's breath hitched at the name. _That_ was who had ordered her brought here? As if it wasn't bad enough already...

"We _won't_ lose our bargaining chip." The deep voice of the general cut into the guard's report.

Heavy feet trampled down the hall. Nya's heartbeat quickened but she fought to keep her expression neutral. The four armed skeleton appeared at her door seconds later.

"What's this about you not eating?"

"I'm not hungry." That was a bold faced lie and they both knew it.

"Oh really? Well if that's the case you need to shove it down anyway. Garmadon doesn't want you dying right now."

Nya suppressed a shiver at the name and glared at him. "As opposed to dying later?"

He shrugged nonchalantly. "Who knows what he has planned." His hard stare bore into her eyes. "However we can't have you messing up his plans. Eat or we'll force it down you."

Nya wobbly rose to her feet and planted her hands on her hips. "You ever hear the story of Perphsprone? I don't intend to _ever_ come back here once my brother comes for me."

"Oh for the love of..." The skeleton facepalmed. "Seriously, _that's_ what you're worried about? That's a myth. Does it look like we can grow food down here? All yours and Garmadon's food comes from the upper world. We skeletons don't have to eat." He rolled his eyes.

Nya crossed her arms. His words rang true but he was a villain, he had to be apt at lying. Yet if she was completely honest with herself her reserves weren't going to last much longer. If by some chance an opportunity to escape arose she needed to be ready to take it. A cold chuckle cut through her musings.

"As if we'd want you here anyway. All you've been is a nuisance. But since we've had this talk _eat_!" Stepping closer to the bars he drew his sword from its sheath. Nya stumbled back, bumping against the wall. "We'll have no problem forcing the food down you. And all we need is for you to be alive, not unharmed. Got it?"

Nya nodded mutely fighting the fear and anger that swirled within her. He gave a toothy smile, as comforting as an alligator's, before sauntering his way down the hall. As soon as he was out of sight Nya collapsed to her knees. She dug her fingers at the cement, willing the tears prickling in her eye to stay where they were. _'Kai please figure out how to get me out of here.'_

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kai lay crumpled on side, nursing bruised ribs, knees, head, pride... the list could go on. Sensei's requirement for him to get through the obstacle course before he finished his tea only seemed more and more impossible with each pitiful attempt. At this rate there wouldn't be any part of him that wasn't black and blue, and he'd only been trying for an hour! _'This is for Nya.'_ He reminded himself as he dragged himself, once again, to his feet.

Sensei shook his head from where he sat on the entrance steps. "Keep practicing the course, but I have other duties to attend to. Tomorrow you can try beating the time."

Without a backward glance the man walked into the main hall. Kai grit his teeth. ' _Sure, fine. Walk away.'_ The man couldn't seriously think Kai would accomplish his task on the first day. He'd never trained for anything like this before. Sure on the streets he had to be fast and agile, but this was a crazy level of parkour he'd never attempted before.

Kai let himself flop back on the ground and stared at the obstacles in disgust. He'd only managed to successfully make it through the first row of dummies once, but his footwork and focus were growing sloppier with each attempt. The growing list of injuries didn't help. _'This is impossible!'_ Sighing Kai shook that thought away. He didn't have time for doubt.

Now that he didn't have Sensei watching over his shoulder or a time to beat, Kai took his time studying the first section. Dummies spun, waving their weapons while the maces fell, but this time Kai tried to count the time between movements. Sure enough a pattern emerged. Encouraged Kai rolled his shoulders, time for another try.

Running forward Kai counted off in his head. ' _1, 2, 3 MACE!'_ Kai ducked and rolled to the side. _'5, 6, 7, 8, sword.'_ He leapt over the dummy, landing lightly on his feet he immediately twisted to the left to avoid a spike. With a final jump Kai found himself on the far side of the obstacle.

"Yes!" Kai shouted aloud.

That was all he got out before a pole sprang up shooting him halfway across the courtyard. Though unprepared he managed to tuck his body in and roll on impact. It still hurt, but not nearly as much as some of his earlier falls. Unperturbed Kai jumped back to his feet. He'd made it beyond the first step and this time he could get even farther.

From a nearby window Sensei Wu watched with an approving smile on his face.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kai rocked on the balls of his feet before lunging forward. With a neat roll he slipped under a sword before launching himself off his hands and over a dummy. A pole shot out of the ground but Kai was ready and landed on it right as it reached its apex. From there he jumped to the next pole, twisting out of a projectile stick's way. He was close to the end when a punching bag swung sideways catching him right in the gut.

"Ooof." Even with the air knocked out of him Kai managed to fall with his knees crouched, absorbing some of the ground's blow.

Still he was proud. Only four days ago he couldn't make it through the first obstacle and here he was almost finishing it. Kai let his legs fold under him and mopped the sweat on his brow. Sensei had gone inside already, but if Kai could finish it today maybe he could work up the speed needed to complete the course before Sensei was done with his tea.

He watched the obstacle course go through its motions. Logically he knew he shouldn't be progressing this fast. Yet something inside was clicking and growing traction exponentially since that first day. It was as if his body had always known how to do what he was putting it through, it just needed the opportunity to unlock it. Like most things in his short life it didn't make much sense, but here he was anyway.

Stretching Kai watched the sun make its descent in the western sky. _'I wonder how Nya's doing.'_ That thought brought an ache to his chest. She'd been a prisoner for a week now and Kai had no idea if she knew he was working toward a way to save her. For all he knew she could be... Kai shook his head. _'No. Sensei said she'd be kept alive.'_ But alive didn't mean unhurt. _'Please Nya hold on. I'm going to get you back. I promise.'_

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Nya was not okay. She glared at the skeleton in front of her.

"I don't care if you guys don't have regard for personal hygiene but I do and I need a bath! Or a bowl, rag and soap! This is ridiculous."

The skeleton coward beneath her glare. "You- you can't- I mean Samukai-"

"He said I was needed alive and I'm telling you I can't live like this."

If this were anywhere else Nya would have laughed. By the guard's flustering attitude Nya guessed he hadn't had much experience being on the receiving side of an angry female. To be fair it was different than an angry general.

"I need it now or there will be trouble!" Nya pressed. She honestly wasn't sure if her 'request' would be fulfilled but it was worth the try. Telling time down here was still difficult, but it had been too long since she'd been able to give herself a proper scrubbing. The little water they provided for her to drink couldn't be wasted on such.

"I-I'll have to see-"

"You do that." Nya interrupted his stammering.

To her surprise he ran off down the hall. _'Welp, we'll see how this goes.'_ They hadn't done anything to hurt her, but she hadn't done anything to provoke their ire. Stomping rumbled down the hall and Nya took a quick breath.

"What is going on here?!" Samukai thundered. Two of his four arms waved with the words and he glared down at her through the bars.

Nya refused to back down. "I need enough water for a bath. Or at the least a sponge bath. It's so gross in here I'm surprised I haven't gotten sick yet. If I do there's no way I'd recover which would put a damper on your boss's plans."

Not that she was any closer to figuring out what said plans were...

"You've made it this far I don't think we have to be too worried."

Nya shook her head. "It's a miracle I haven't gotten sick. With all the dirt that comes from sleeping on thefloor I can't feel my own skin anymore. There could be tiny cuts I don't know about and from this _very_ sanitary cell it wouldn't take much for a bad infection. Then where would we be?"

"With one less annoying prisoner." Samukai growled, but he clenched his teeth as her words rolled around his skull. "Fine but don't start thinking too highly of yourself. Frakjaw chain her and take her to the springs." Samukai glared hard at Nya. "If you try anything the consequences will be severe."

Nya rolled her eyes. Where would she go? At Samukai's grunt she hastily nodded. She wasn't going to risk her chance to get clean, and possible subsequent ones.

Samukai watched coldly as Frakjaw produced a set of metal cuffs and unlocked the cell. Grimacing Nya allowed him to handcuff her and lead her out of the cell. Once Samukai seemed assured she wouldn't be any trouble he matched off barking orders to passing skeletons.

Frakjaw led her in a different direction. Having been unconscious on her arrival she took the time to study her surroundings. Tunnels were cut into black stone, lit by the occasional purple or blue flamed torch. They seemed to stretch endlessly, pockmarked by occasional larger caverns with various assortments of equipment. Skeletons passed by them, paying the prisoner little attention. There seemed to be little else than stone and bone down here. As they went deeper into the ground they passed fewer guards.

Sudden apprehension built in Nya's gut. She hadn't completely thought this through. How were they going to go about this with her? Would she be tossed in a body of water clothes and all? That certainly was better than the alternative if the guard stayed in the room with her. Nya shuddered internally.

"In here." Frakjaw directed Nya to a side door.

They stepped inside and Nya noticed a faint metallic smell.

"The springs are straight ahead. The cavern's a dead end..." He eyed her warily. "If you promise not to do anything I'll free your hands."

"I promise!" The words had barely left the guard's mouth before she interjected.

Slowly, as if to test her sincerity, Frakjaw unlocked her shackles.

"Thanks." Nya rubbed her wrists. If they were already irritated from only a few minutes walk she was very thankful they hadn't been used her entire stay.

"No one's down here. I'll stand by the door to make sure no one comes in. Hurry though." With that he left, closing the door behind him.

This was more of a kindness than she expected. Not wanting to waste a second she hurried down the hall. The metallic smell grew stronger, with a faint hint of sulfur. Suddenly the tunnel branched out and a large silver-blue pool became visible in the soft torch light. Small tendrils of steam curled into the air. It had a haunting beauty to it Nya hadn't expected from this realm.

Since her clothes were as dirty as she was Nya chose to scrub them first and lay them out on the rocks. They probably wouldn't dry much, but it was better than nothing. No soap had been given to her so she did the best she could with just water. It took several minutes before her hair felt soft again and her skin resumed its normal shade- if not a little paler from the lack of sunlight.

Sighing Nya knew she couldn't push it any longer. She climbed out of the water, letting herself drip dry for a minute before putting on her damp clothes. Not the most pleasant feeling but waaaaaaay better than she had felt upon entering the cavern. Finger brushing her hair Nya headed back the way she came in.

The door was still closed when she reached it. Nya knocked and stepped back so she'd be clearly seen when it opened. Frakjaw peered in and seeing Nya beckoned to her. She held out her wrists but he waved them away. Instead he took her elbow and led her back to the cell block.

Once again inside her cell Nya stood in the middle to avoid soiling her clean(er) clothes while they dried. She looked at Frakjaw. "Thank you."

He nodded in response before returning to his post. Nya watched him go. _'Huh, I guess there is some humanity left down here after all.'_

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kai warily looked over his Sensei appointed team members. That had _not_ been in the cards when he came with Sensei. And their attacking him- on Sensei's orders???? When told there was a final test coming this wasn't what he'd been expecting. It certainly didn't aid his feelings on the situation.

His three black clad, would-be attackers were giving him the look over too. Apparently Master Wu hadn't clued them in either they were getting a fourth member. Kai felt a smug sense of satisfaction that at least he wasn't the only one surprised by the turn of events.

"Each of you were chosen for a reason." Sensei gravely looked them in the eye one by one. "All of you have an affinity for a specific element."

Then without warning Master Wu generated his golden tornado and swept toward the students. In a flash of light and wind each young man was suddenly wearing a new outfit. Kai looked down through a hood at his red gi in shock, unsure whether he should feel impressed or violated. It was about 50/50. The other three wore different colored gis of white, blue, and black.

Sensei walked forward and tapped Kai's shoulders with his staff as if he were knighting him. "Kai, master of fire." At his words a warmth suddenly flared within Kai. Sensei smiled as if he knew what had taken place. "It burns bright within you."

He turned to the young man in blue at Kai's right. "Jay, master of lightning."

Jay bowed with a flourish. "And that's not the only thing I'm a master of- I do some inventing, building, dabble in poetry and cooking." He leaned over to whisper in Kai's ear. "My cooking might not be as good as Zane's but if you value your life don't eat anything Cole gives you."

"Hey! I heard that." The black ninja on Kai's left crossed his arms. "More like mouth of lightning." He grumbled, though not sounding too upset.

Sensei approached him. "Cole, solid as rock. Master of earth."

Cole flipped off his hood, black hair flopping into his eyes. "Nice to meet you kid." Kai snorted contemptuously. There was no way this guy was much more than a year older than himself. "If Sensei says you're part of us I got your back. Just make sure you've got ours." His piercing stare told Kai he might be allowed in, but he had yet to prove his worth. Like Kai hadn't showed his mad skills five minutes ago when he'd been forced to fight three on one.

Ignoring the males vying for dominance Sensei turned to the last figure clothed in white. "Last but not least Zane, master of ice. " The young man bowed crisply.

Sensei stepped back and addressed them all. "You four have been chosen to protect the Golden Weapons of Spinjitzu from Lord Garmadon-"

"And save my sister!" Kai interjected.

"Ooo we're saving a damsel in distress?" The blue one- Jay- perked up. "What's she like? Is she hot?" At Kai's murderous glare, and Cole's incredulous one, he backed up a pace throwing his hands up quickly in a surrender motion. "Hey, I just want to know what we're getting ourselves into."

"Right, 'cause asking if my _kidnapped sister_ is hot really matters to the mission!" Kai stepped forward, his fists balling.

Cole quickly moved between them. "Okay enough. You need to cool it hothead," he gestured to Kai, "but Jay that was incredibly insensitive."

"Sorry." Jay had the decency to look ashamed.

Kai grunted, if this little punk thought he was getting off that easy...

"When we find the weapons, we'll be able to get your sister." Sensei's steady voice interrupted Kai's train of thought. "It's time to start for the first one."

Cole frowned. "But you haven't taught us Spinjitzu yet."

"And you told me back at the house that I needed it to be able to fight Garmadon." Maybe this guy wasn't all Kai was thinking he'd be.

Sensei shook his head. "You each have the tools needed to do Spinjitzu, you only need to unlock it."

_'And that's not cryptic at all.'_ Forcing himself to keep from rolling his eyes, Kai trailed up the monastery steps after Master Wu. "Well if we're as ready as we're going to be, can we get started?"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

_Two days and one recovered scythe later_

Kai stared into the flames tuning out Cole's tirade. The camaraderie they'd experienced after discovering how to do Spinjitzu, recovering the Scythe of Quakes _and_ the map to the weapons faded quickly with Sensei's lecture over using the scythe. The others (well less so Zane) were quick to point out it was Kai's fault the scythe was used.

After setting up camp Cole decided it was a good time to remind Kai, again, that he was dumb for trying to go solo. Well, that was Kai's interpretation. He stopped listening after the first sentence. When Cole finally paused for breath Kai stood up and glared at him.

"I get it okay. I didn't do what you want. Well guess what, I'm not used to working with others. If I see an opening I'm going to take it."

"That worked out so well with the scythe." Jay muttered.

Kai turned his furious gaze onto the smaller teen. "I got it didn't I! And I didn't see you coming up with anything to help the situation, Mr. Let's-get-the-skeletons-and-the-dragon-sentry's-attention. Maybe then I wouldn't have had to use the scythe!"

Jay visibly flinched and even in the dark the color rising in his face was noticeable. "Excuse me! It was an accident and-"

"Okay enough!" Cole's deep voice cut between the two. "I get this is new for you but we have to try and find common ground. Sensei brought us together for a reason and we need to work _together_ to accomplish this."

"Yeah, sure." Kai gritted out. "But it looks like your 'together' just means listen to you. Sorry but that's not happening."

Turning his back on them Kai walked to the edge of the clearing and sat down. The night chill settled in immediately after leaving the fire ring. Yet Kai wasn't about to swallow his pride enough to return to their condescending glances and words. Self-righteous know-it-alls. ' _Like any of them have had to watch over their shoulder for more than half their life. Easy for them to be all chummy when they don't know what the real world's like.'_

Soft footfalls indicated someone's approach. He glanced up to see Zane walking over to him, the other two ninja locked in a whispered conversation.

"What do you want?" Kai snapped.

The serene teen cocked his head and lifted the bundle in his hands. "I merely wanted to offer you a blanket as the night is expected to cool. Your distance from the fire exponentially increases your risk of feeling it."

Caught off guard Kai could only stare as Zane handed him the blanket. Task accomplished Zane made to return to the fire.

"Zane..." He turned to Kai. "T-thanks." Zane nodded and went back to his own bed roll.

Kai wrapped the blanket around his shoulders trying to push away his guilt. Finally, heaving a sigh, Kai stood up and walked back to the group. Three pairs of eyes fixed on him.

"Jay, Cole... sorry. I shouldn't have snapped like that."

Jay gave him a weak smile. "It's alright. This is new for you."

"Maybe, but I still lost my head there. Nya would chew me out if she'd have seen that." Kai dragged a hand through his hair. "For so long it's just been me and her. I'm not used to anyone else watching my back. I guess there's a learning curve."

"Well, if you'll let us be your teammates, we'll be there for you." Cole leaned against a tree, a partial smirk on his face. "If today was any indication you need someone watching out for you."

"Hardy-har." Kai rolled his eyes, but something inside him did feel a little lighter. For the first time in a long time he had a place to belong. A place he'd earned on his own merit. All that was missing was Nya.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

_Three days, and a recovered nunchucks and shurikens later_

Nya's elation at being returned to the Ninjago realm had been cut drastically short when the bag over her head was removed to reveal she was inside of an active volcano. Now, held by two skeletal guards, she peered over a black ledge to the red rivers below her. The lava flow led to a gaping mouth-like cavern then dropping into the core of the world below. Amidst the rocks lodged in the river a golden sword, buried halfway to its hilt in the rock, gleamed crimson in the fiery light some fifty feet below her.

"Seriously? Your bright idea is to dangle me over a pool of lava while the very weapon you want it right below me? Did you take theater back in high school or something?"

She knew antagonizing her captors probably wasn't smart, but if this was the best they could come up with it was a no-brainer why Garmadon was still currently stuck in the Underworld.

"Shut up!" One of the skeletons shoved Nya to her knees but she could hear him mutter, "It wasn't _my_ idea," under his breath as he wrapped the chains tightly around her arms and torso.

Her other guard snickered. "Great come back Kruncha."

Kruncha glared at him. "Shut up Nuckal and help me."

He drove a metal ring into the ground while Nuckal wrapped the excess chain around a winch. Kruncha then threaded the end of the chain through the middle of the ring.

"I'd be careful about moving around. You wouldn't want to slip out before the party gets here." Kruncha flashed a wicked grin and shoved Nya closer to the edge.

"What party?" There was a tremble in her voice as she fought to keep her balance.

All she'd been able to overhear on their bumpy trip here was the army wanted some sword. The very sword that rested below her now. Others must be after it too, but she hadn't been told who or why the sword was so important. She also didn't understand why these knuckleheads couldn't just grab it and leave her alone.

"Don't worry. You'll find out very soon." Kruncha chuckled.

A hook was latched into the chain surrounding Nya and with little ceremony he shoved her over the side. Nya didn't try to hold in her scream as gravity pulled her down. With a lurch she abruptly halted, the chains forcing the air out of her lungs. Flailing she tried to take in a breath.

"What'd I say about moving?" A cold chuckle came from several feet above her.

Nya struggled to tune him out, but slowly logic trickled back and she forced herself to relax. Air blessedly found its way back into her lungs.

"That's it. Just sit tight." Kruncha laughed again.

Shadows danced along the wall and one began to solidify. A humanoid figure loomed three stories tall against the wall. The noises above Nya abruptly quit.

"My emperor." The skeletons spoke in unison.

Nya's already ragged breath caught in her chest. He- the Dark Underlord, Bane of Ninjago- was here. Or at least some semblance of him. Nya hadn't had the misfortune of seeing him during her imprisonment and if this monstrosity was just a shadow of him...

"Hurry and return to the others." His deep voice sent shivers down Nya's spine. "My brother's students approach. It's time to thin the herd."

"Yes, sir!" Footsteps marched away leaving Nya alone with the Shadow Lord.

"Well, well my dear. I hope you've enjoyed your time with us. I'm afraid it's drawing to a close. But before it does..." His shadow shifted becoming more 3D. Nya choked back another scream as she found herself looking at herself. "Sit tight, your brother will be joining us shortly." He laughed and sauntered his way out of the volcano. Nya could only watch in horror.

_'Kai? What- How?'_ Not that she'd doubted he would try to come for her, but part of her was surprised he'd made it this far. And how had he put himself on the radar of one of the worst villains Ninjago had ever seen?

She didn't have long to wonder when her own voice sounded from below.

"Don't worry I'm right here," The voice deepened significantly, "brother!"

"Garmadon!" Came a shout of surprise.

That was Kai! He _was_ here. She missed the next exchange, but all of a sudden the chain dropped eliciting a scream from Nya. Another jerk brought her to a painful stop but she could see Kai! After so long he'd found his way to her.

"Kai!"

"Nya!" Kai stepped forward reaching an arm toward her, though she still hung several feet above him.

"If you don't remove the sword how will you save your precious little sister?"

Well that didn't sound good. "No! It has to be a trap. Don't do it." Nya struggled against the chains holding her.

At that moment the chain loosened more sending Nya hurtling toward the lava below. Her screams once again echoed through the cavern, offset by maniacal laughter.

"No!" Kai's scream rose above her own.

From the corner of her eye she saw Kai jump across rocks dotting the lava river. With a finesse she'd never seen in him before, he flipped across the last rock grabbing the sword while upside down.

Garmadon's laugh deepened and his shadow grew to fill the entire side of the cavern. Ignoring him Kai raced to Nya. Bursting into a red tornado he sliced through the chain and pulled her to safety. They held each other tightly for a moment. Both wanting to make sure the other was real and not a figment of their imagination.

"Are you okay?" Kai frantically scanned her face and body.

"Yes, but you just- mini tornado-!"

Garmadon's harsh voice jerked them back to their surroundings. "Thank you Kai, I'll take the sword now."

Kai snapped to his feet pushing Nya behind him. "You don't have power here. You're only a shadow!"

The shadows on the wall shifted. Kai's moved on its own away from him, aiming its dark sword at the siblings. "Even shadows have their uses."

Kai brandished his own sword. "Stay back!" He swung at the shadow- only for his sword to go straight through it.

"Oh Kai, Kai." Garmadon tisked. "You didn't think it would be that easy did you?"

Kai's shadow attacked, driving the sword toward Kai's head. He jumped back but the shadow retaliated with a front kick to the chest that sent Kai sprawling.

"Kai!" Nya helped him sit up.

He shrugged her off and quickly resumed his attack. Mocking laughter was his only result. The shadow kicked him again, but this time Kai's grip on the sword loosened. It fell from his hand, clattering to the rocks at the shadow's feet.

Nya could only watch as the shadow picked up the golden weapon and held it aloft.

"After so long-!"

His declaration was cut short when another shadow joined him on the wall. This one of an old man with a staff. The new shadow struck at the one holding the sword, knocking him off his feet and sending the sword flying. Nya followed it with her eyes.

To her surprise Nya saw the old man who'd been at the shop right before the skeletons attacked catch the sword in midair. _'What's he doing here?'_ Other than holding his own she didn't have time for better answers.

"Come on!" Kai tugged her toward the entrance of the mountain.

"So you protect one, brother," Garmadon hissed.

Nya's eyes jumped between the shadow and man. _'Brothers?'_ She turned to Kai, questions written on her face, but he just nodded and motioned for her to stay quiet.

"But what about the other three weapons?"

The man stood in a fighting stance. "They are far from where you could ever reach them."

"Are you so sure?" Garmadon scoffed.

Freezing momentarily the old man made no reply. Then his grip tightened around the blade. "He cannot be allowed to unite the weapons. Hurry!"

They tore off toward the entrance of the cave.

A shout echoed through the cavern, "Arise guardian! The sword's being stolen!"

Rumbling shook the earth. A head rose from the lava and long leathery wings stretched out.

"D-d-dragon!" Nya screamed.

The beast roared and shot a stream of fire at the group. Scattering, the siblings went one way and the old man another. With another roar the dragon's tail slammed the stalactites hanging from the ceiling. They fell with a crash, blocking their only exit.

The old man only shook his head. "If the other weapons are coming here, this one cannot stay." He leapt over rocks until he was close to the lava-fall.

"Sensei what are you doing?" The anguish was palpable in Kai's voice.

"He can't be allowed to get the sword so I will take it to the Underworld." The rock he was floating on moved closer to the edge.

"No! This was my fault!" Kai made to go after the old man but Nya held him back. "You can't-!"

The man merely pulled out a teapot and cup- _'Where the heck did those come from?'_ Nya barely had time to wonder- then in a blink disappeared over the edge.

"No, Sensei!" Kai collapsed onto the rocky ground.

"Fine, I'll see you there brother." Garmadon's shadow abruptly vanished

Nya's gaze flicked between her brother and the beast still behind them. "Kai! No time for that!"

He turned and Nya saw literal fire flare in his eyes. It was so startling she took a step back from him. Letting out a wordless yell he stared directly into the dragon's eyes. "My Sensei is trying to keep that sword safe from Garmadon and I don't have time for you right now!" He shouted up at it.

Nya's eyebrows arched in surprise. Who was that man to Kai and what had taken place in such a short amount of time that her brother was willing to challenge a _dragon_? A literal, fire breathing creature of legend?

As if that wasn't a big enough shock Kai erupted, once again, into the red tornado. Now that she was close enough Nya could see it was made up of fire. _'What. The. Heck?'_ This had to be some alternate reality because nothing made any sense.

Even more so when the dragon didn't move. It only watched the tornado with what looked like interest in its large eyes. The tornado moved toward the dragon.

"Kai-!" But her brother didn't stop.

He spun, floating in the air until he landed on a rock that was eye level with the dragon. The flames snuffed out leaving an irritated Kai pointing his fist at the dragon. "The very man that just went over the cliff was the one who placed you here to protect that sword. _We_ came to protect it from Lord Garmadon who you practically just handed the sword to! Now please-" Kai's voice broke, "please, I need your help to get the sword and Master Wu back."

The dragon stared at Kai for a long minute. Nya did too. She'd never heard such an impassioned speech from him before. Finally the dragon dipped its head. It turned and gestured with it head toward its back. Nya's eyes grew wide.

Kai just smiled. "Thank you." He leapt from the rock, landing neatly on his feet before Nya.

"You have a lot of explaining to do."

"I know." Kai took her hand and squeezed it. "But I don't have much time right now. I need to go after Sensei and the sword." He led her to the dragon and helped her climb his scaly back.

"Sensei? He was the old man who came to our shop right before..."

"Yeah." The dragon's wings stretched out. "Short version is he recruited me and a few others to find the weapons and you. Now that you're safe I have to help him."

Nya could hear the confidence in Kai's voice. "I really missed something. How long was I gone?"

"Almost two weeks." Kai turned around to look at Nya. "I'm so glad you're safe. I was so scared..." He trailed off.

Nya gave his arm a gentle squeeze. "I never doubted for a moment you'd leave me there."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Nya sighed and stared out the house window. No sign of Kai yet, or his new friends. The candle next to her flickered dangerously. Having burned for more than two days it was reaching the end of its wick. She shook her head. Kai said he'd be back, and having seen him and the others in action she had confidence he would return.

After transferring the flame to a new candle Nya drummed her fingers on the table. If anything it was sitting around that would kill her. "There's no use waiting around. Might as well be productive."

She looked around the room doubling as a store front and her workshop. A roll of thick paper tucked in the corner caught her attention. That particular schematic was a pipe dream, a fantasy, but given recent events...

Nya picked it up and rolled it open. It ran the entire length of the table. She pulled out a pencil. ' _Tweak the plating here. Move the hatch there.'_ This might just be the sort of thing needed if Kai kept up his new job. _'With this Kai won't need to worry about me.'_ Grinning at the thought Nya set to work perfecting the schematic. If her brother was going to be a protector of Ninjago, why shouldn't she strive to be anything less?


	9. Hello Darkness My Old Friend (S1)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one was born as I spent way too much time delving into the intricacies of a fictional world wondering A) WHY in the WORLD would Misako drop her son off at a place that literally had "bad boys" in the name- did she want Lloyd to be evil so they wouldn't end up fighting each other? She eventually states she left to see if there was a way for them to avoid a fight to the death, but still. And B) how come the evil in Garmadon didn't effect Lloyd? So the logical thing was to write it out. *insert shrug*

Lloyd tucked his knees up to his chin on the couch, listening to the muffled sobs coming from the next room. Normally the 4 year old couldn't sit still, but something was very, very wrong. Mommy had been acting weird the last few days and nothing he did made it any better. If anything she would look even more sad when he offered to help set the table or sweep the floor. He didn't know what he did to make her feel so bad. It had been a long time since Daddy visited, and that always made Mommy sad, but not like this.

Frowning Lloyd wondered what was wrong. There had been an incident at the store earlier where a strange lady had come up to Mommy and started saying things in a mean tone that Lloyd didn't really understand. Something about how Daddy had done blah-blah-blah and she was holding Mommy re-responstible? Her glare had turned to Lloyd, causing him to shrink behind Mommy's legs. She then snarled something about how she couldn't believe Mommy put up with Daddy and the spawn of that... Mommy had covered Lloyd's ears at that point and practically dragged him out the door. Something like that always seemed to happen when he and Mommy went out.

No one but Mommy ever talked about Daddy with nice words. Lloyd knew Daddy was different, with his black skin and red eyes, but he knew Daddy still loved him. His hugs when he was around proved that. He just wasn't able to come home much. At least that's how Mommy explained it.

Lloyd pulled at nonexistent threads on his jeans. He was worried and board, but Mommy was already sad. He didn't want to do anything that would make her mad at him. Not when he had already made things worse.

It seemed like a long time before Mommy came out of her room. Her gaze immediately latched on Lloyd. Staring at her Lloyd could see that her eyes were red and puffy. He gave her a tentative smile.

"Hey-hey sweetie." Her voice cracked. "Have you been sitting there a while?" Lloyd nodded, not daring to say anything. Mommy ran a hand down her brown braid. "I'm sorry you had to wait for me. Is it okay if I sit next to you?" Lloyd nodded again. Mommy sat down putting her arms around Lloyd.

"Are-are you sad Mommy?"

She stroked his hair for a few moments before answering. "I guess I am."

"I'm sorry." Lloyd felt Mommy stiffen.

"Lloyd look at me." He hesitantly looked up at her. "This is _not_ because of you. Okay?" Lloyd's gaze dropped to his knees. "Oh, baby." Lloyd didn't look up but it sound like she was crying again. She wrapped him tightly in her arms. After a few seconds Lloyd snuggled into her embrace. "I promise you did _nothing_ wrong. Mommy's just having a hard time with some grown up stuff right now. I love you so much. I will always, _always_ love you. I don't want you to ever _ever_ forget that."

"I love you too."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Mommy was doing it again- getting really quiet and sad. It had been good for several weeks but now... She was quick to smile at Lloyd whenever he was in the room, but her eyes always held unshed tears when she thought he wasn't looking. He caught her looking at big buildings on the computer before quickly turning it off when Lloyd came in. The calendar had a large red circle on it coming up, but whenever Lloyd asked about it Mommy said she'd tell him later.

Lloyd lay in bed looking out his window at the stars. What was going on? Mommy had said Lloyd hadn't done anything but her actions didn't match. Creaking from his door indicated Mommy was checking in on him. He kept still, not wanting her to know he was still awake.

"Oh, Lloyd." He strained to hear her soft words. "I-I'm sorry. I can't do this to you... to him. You have to choose your own path, but I have to see if I can keep it from clashing with his. There they won't hold your father against you." Gentle feet padded over and a kiss was placed on his cheek. "I hope you understand one day." It sounded like she was crying again.

She quietly stole out of the room leaving Lloyd to wonder about her words. What was she sorry about? Who was him? Shrugging he snuggled into his covers. If he asked Mommy she would just say that it was one of her grown up things again. Why did it have to be so confusing?

The hall light flicked off shrouding his room in dark shadows. He wasn't afraid though, here in bed the darkness was his friend. Daddy taught him that. The lack of light would hide any of the noticeable differences about Daddy. He could curl up next to Daddy and simply focus on his voice as he told stories of skeletal armies, faraway lands and past elemental masters. Here they were just father and son. No abnormal skin coloring, strange arguments or unhappy neighbors. Daddy would tuck him into bed with a hug then leaving before Lloyd woke up.

Lloyd hugged his blanket tightly. It seemed like longer than usual that Daddy had been gone. The last time he was here Daddy and Mommy were talking about Lloyd after they thought he was asleep. They weren't arguing, but they both sounded sad. Daddy had said it was getting too strong, but that Lloyd still had the opportunity to choose because of Misako's blood. He didn't want his being around to influence that choice.

Like most of what Mommy and Daddy talked about, Lloyd didn't really understand what they meant. But it sounded like Daddy was saying a sort of goodbye. Sure enough he hadn't been back since. Lloyd missed him more than he let Mommy know. He didn't want to make her sadder than she already was. With his thoughts focused on Daddy it took a long time for Lloyd to fall asleep.

The next morning came too early. Mommy shook him awake, the room still shrouded in predawn darkness.

"It's time to get up Lloyd. We have a long day ahead of us."

"Wha...?" Lloyd slurred, voice heavy with sleep. But Mommy had already left.

Forcing himself out of bed Lloyd put on his favorite hoodie, black with green rib bones on it. A birthday present from Daddy. The cuffs completely enveloped his hands and the hem fell halfway to his knees, but that was okay. It was cozy. Mommy said there'd be room to grow.

As Lloyd stumbled out of his room he saw a couple suitcases by the door. "Mommy where are we going?"

"On a trip. Come on your breakfast is getting cold."

Rubbing the sleep from his eyes Lloyd did as she asked. Sleepily he ate and followed Mommy to the car. Once he was buckled she handed him his pillow and Lloyd curled up against the wall letting the swaying car lull him back to sleep.

Two hours later he awoke when the car slowed. Looking out the window he saw an unfamiliar forest. It gathered around a central hill and as Lloyd squinted he could see a brown building at the top.

"Mommy where are we going?"

"To... a new school."

"School?" They'd talked about him going next year and Lloyd was excited for it, but this building didn't look like what Mommy described.

"Yes, you'll-you'll learn a lot here."

Confused Lloyd looked back up at the building. It was tall with several stories, narrowing the higher it rose. Each floor had a mini roof with black tiles that curled upward. It looked like a giant monster.

"I wanna go home."

Mommy glanced at Lloyd via the rear view mirror. "We're not even there yet. Let's give it a chance first."

"But Mom-"

"No Lloyd." Her sharp tone strongly discouraged further arguing.

Grumbling Lloyd crossed his arms and slunk down in his seat. Mommy didn't comment. The building loomed closer and closer and Lloyd pulled his hood over his head. The car jerked to a stop.

"Come on Lloyd."

Moving as slowly as he could Lloyd slid out of the car. Mommy pulled the suitcase from the trunk. _'Why do I need that?'_ Lloyd's frown deepened.

The door opened with a groan. Even though he was mad at her Lloyd moved closer to Mommy. She patted his shoulder before nudging him forward. Lloyd gripped the pockets of his hoodie as he walked inside.

The hallway stretched long and dark with a lot of doors on both sides of the hall. People walked around, some adults, some older kids, and one who looked around Lloyd's age. Their eyes rested on Mommy for a moment before most widened in shock and locked on Lloyd, who was trying to make himself as small as possible. For once though these eyes didn't look mad, if anything people looked excited. But they still stayed far away from the pair.

One of the adults, an older man with a big tummy and gray hair, came forward. "Ah, Mrs. Garmadon, we've been expecting you. Won't you come with me?" He gestured to one of the doors.

Mommy nodded and gently tugged her son along behind her. Lloyd dragged his feet, he didn't want to be here. There was no explicit reason why, but something about this place giving him the creeps.

The man led them into some kind of office. A big desk took up half the floor. Behind it was a large upright chair. Two smaller chairs were near the door. Mommy nudged Lloyd toward one of them. It was so tall he had to lay on top of it to pull himself. The man grunted but turned his attention to Mommy.

"Mrs. Garmadon-"

"Misako, please." Mommy's voice was tight.

"Alright Misako, I'm Principle Tryble. I must admit I was a little surprised to see your email. I, along with most of the other teachers at this school, hoped we'd have the opportunity to instruct Lloyd. Though I wasn't sure if you'd actually enroll him here." His brown eyes turned hard. "And if you were to I had thought it would be a couple years out yet."

"Yes, well something has come up and I want Lloyd to start his education."

"And you're wanting to enroll Lloyd here on a boarding basis, is that correct?"

"Yes."

Lloyd looked over at Mommy confused. _'What is boarding?'_ She wouldn't meet his eye.

"Will you or his father be involved with his instruction?"

Mommy hesitated. "Maybe we could get Lloyd settled in and finish this conversation later?"

Mr. Tryble cocked his head and his eyes cut to Lloyd. "Of course." He gave a smile that didn't look quite right. "Lloyd, I'll have one of our other students show you where your room is."

 _'Room for what?'_ He wanted to ask but Mommy's look didn't encourage questions. Sliding down from the chair he walked to the door.

"Take your bag with you." Mommy handed him one of the duffels.

Lloyd reached for it but his arms dropped with the weight. He grunted in surprise but Mommy had already turned back to Tryble. Unsure what to do Lloyd looked back and forth from Mommy and the man. The man looked beyond Lloyd to the door.

"Aaron, there you are." Lloyd turned to see a blond haired boy, a couple years older than him. His brown eyes locked on Lloyd with something akin to suspicion in them. "Lloyd is going to join your dorm, can you show him the way?"

The boy- Aaron- nodded. He jerked his head towards the door and left not waiting to see if Lloyd followed. Hurrying worth his much shorter strides Lloyd followed the older boy down the halls. More stares and whispers came from the people they passed. Lloyd's face flushed red, he still didn't know what all the attention was about. What made him more uncomfortable was these people didn't act like the ones who usually pointed and whispered when he and Mommy went out. These kids seemed... excited.

Ignoring them, an action made born from practice from his trips out with Mommy, Lloyd stumbled after Aaron. The older boy stopped abruptly in the middle of the hall. Lloyd accidentally ran into him eliciting a growl from the older boy. He shrank back, but Aaron's attention had turned back to a door in the wall. Lloyd now realized it was an elevator. When the door creaked open Lloyd slipped in, standing as far away from Aaron as he could in the small space.

Aaron continued to ignore him and hit a button for the fifth floor. With a jerk the elevator slowly made its way upward. A ding indicated their arrival. Turning to the right Aaron led Lloyd three doors down and shoved it open. Lloyd hesitantly followed him inside.

Three bunk beds lined the walls. Trunks bookended each of the beds. Another interior door was cracked open giving a slivered image of a sink.

"You'll sleep here."

"Wait, what?" Lloyd whipped toward the doorway, but Aaron was gone.

 _'Sleep?'_ Lloyd frowned at the beds. His stomach twisted. Why would he be sleeping here? Unsure what to do next Lloyd set his bag on the ground. He'd only been told to see the room. Having seen it he was ready to leave, but he didn't really remember the way back to Mommy.

Poking his head into the hallway Lloyd looked for someone else. The emptiness was a stark contrast compared to the bustling halls on the first floor. Tears prickled in Lloyd's eyes but he shook them away. Mommy would just tell him to calm down and try to think about it.

Lloyd frowned in thought. Aaron had used the elevator! All he had to do was look for one. That thought chased away some of his fears. Padding down the hall Lloyd stood in front of the elevator and stretched up for the buttons. A thrill of excitement ran through him when the door slid open. He'd done it all by himself! He hit the 1 and waited for the elevator to move. Slowly the elevator descended.

Lloyd got off when it 'dinged' again. The office was a straight shot from the elevator but it was a lot further down than the room above had been. Just as Lloyd found the door Mommy came out followed by Mr. T-Tr... Lloyd didn't really remember his name.

"Mommy!"

She jumped at Lloyd's voice and swung to look at him. "Lloyd?"

"Why am I sleeping here?"

Mommy's face twitched. "This is your new school remember. You're going to stay here."

"B-but I want to be with you." Lloyd clung to Mommy's legs as she began to walk to the entrance.

She knelt to face him. "Lloyd I have work I have to do and you have to stay here."

"When will I go home?"

Mommy's face turned kinda white. "It'll be a little bit Lloyd. But know I love you. Okay?" She pulled him into a tight hug. "This is 'cause I love you." She whispered into his hair. It sounded like she was trying to convince herself.

All too soon she let him go and turned toward the main doors. Lloyd started walking after her but Mr. T held him back.

"No! No, let me go!" Lloyd struggled vainly to get free. "Mommy don't go!" She didn't look back. "Mommy. Please! Don't leave me here!"

By now a lot of kids, and even some adults, had come to see what the commotion was about. Lloyd didn't pay them attention. He just kept trying to get out of the big man's grasp. Finally he gave up. Going limp Lloyd drooped against the man's arms.

Voices filtered into his hearing, and this time they weren't whispers.

"Oh listen to the little baby Garmadon cwy for his mwammy." Snickers filled the hall.

"Garmadon? More like Garma- _dork_."

" _He's_ supposed to be _the Garmadon's_ son? Guess you can't pick your family."

Lloyd shook at the onslaught of taunts.

Nervous coughing came from above him. "Here, Lloyd let's go back in my office."

Lloyd allowed himself to be carried into the room and set on the chair. He didn't look up when the man started talking.

"This has to be a shock, but you'll get the best education here that your pedigree demands." Lloyd was too distraught to be confused by the man's words. "Here you'll become a young man your dad will be proud of."

Lloyd heard that and it made him even more sick. Mommy was mad at him and now this man was saying Daddy wasn't happy with him either? Was that why Daddy hadn't come to see them in so long?

"I don't know how much Aaron told you but most of our students board. Although," he looked down doubtfully at Lloyd's small frame, "you'll be our youngest student. Sleeping quarters are on the fifth floor. One of the other first graders can show you your classroom tomorrow. Most families don't choose to send their children here until they're middle school aged, so you won't have a very large class."

None of this was making sense and Mr. T seemed to finally realize Lloyd wasn't really hearing him. He left his desk and knelt in front of Lloyd. "I get this is all so new. Why don't you look around the school today and we can go over more of this tomorrow."

Nodding numbly Lloyd didn't pay much attention while Mr. T made a call. A bell rang in the hall and the sounds of lots of people moving came through the door. Almost as suddenly as the noise appeared it died down and another bell rang. Less than a minute later someone knocked on the door.

"Mr. Tryble?"

Oh yeah, that was his name.

"Brad, this is Lloyd he'll be joining your class tomorrow, and he's in your dorm. Show him around so he's ready for tomorrow."

Lloyd turned to a black haired boy younger than Aaron, but a little older than himself standing at the doorway. He was giving Lloyd the same appraising/skeptical look that most of the people had been giving him.

"M'kay sir." Unlike Aaron he waited for Lloyd before leading him out the door.

They walked slowly down the now empty hall.

"I'm Brad."

"Lloyd." He muttered.

"Yeah I know." There was a note of awe in Brad's voice that made Lloyd uncomfortable.

"You do?"

"Dude your dad's famous! This is Darkly's Boarding School for Bad Boys." Brad said the words slowly and clearly, like he was reading off something. "Here we're taught the villainy needed to become tomorrow's evil overlords." He stopped when his saw Lloyd's blank face. "You know, teaching us how to be evil."

Lloyd curled his nose. "Evil?"

"Yeah, bad. Like our parents."

"My mommy's not bad!" Lloyd practically shouted.

Brad looked unimpressed. "I don't know who your mom is, but everyone here's heard about your dad." Brad leaned closer and looked excited as he whispered, "Your dad's really Lord Garmadon right!?"

"Lord? No, but his name's Garmadon. Just like mine." Lloyd pointed at himself proudly.

Brad's jaw dropped. "I know they said he was your dad but I didn't think you'd really come." He bounced on his toes. "Even in our first grade class your dad is required reading. He's the worst of the worst!"

Lloyd's face flushed red. "My Daddy is not-!"

A snicker cut him off. "Here that's a comp-lip-mant." Lloyd wasn't really sure what that was supposed to mean. "Your dad is the most famous here!"

"You're not mad at him?" This reaction was completely foreign to Lloyd.

"Dude you're gonna have so much street cred for that!"

Another phrase that meant little to Lloyd, but if he understood it right these people were actually... happy? about who Daddy was. That was a first. He didn't have time to let Brad's words really sink in before he started talking again.

"Most of our classes are on the first two floors, and the lunch room. Sleeping is on the fifth. There's a gym on the third floor. Fourth floor is the lab. We get to build all sorts of cool stuff there! Then there's a lookout on the roof and a dungeon in the basement!" A dungeon sounded cool. "Outside is a really big yard and we can play at recess." Brad frowned. "But the older boys hog all the good stuff."

Brad continued to show him the grounds. The dungeon was not cool in as much as creepy, there were weird tools scattered around, many with sharp points. And it was dark and musty. They didn't actually go in the lab, there were students working on things and Brad said people did _not_ like to be disturbed, especially by the younger kids. It was close to noon when another bell rang.

"That one's for our lunch!" Brad started walking much faster to the stairs. "Us elementary kids eat together. The food's pretty good, they have cooks from Ninjago City! But if we don't get there early all the good food's gone."

Hungry now Lloyd eagerly followed Brad down the narrow stairwell. He was thankful Brad didn't take the elevator, it was a little small for his liking. At the doors to the cafeteria Brad waved to some other boys. Then without another word to Lloyd he ran off in their direction.

Lloyd stood awkwardly in the entrance. Should he follow Brad? Looking around Lloyd realized even if he wanted to, Brad was lost in the sea of students. He didn't want to wander around looking for him. Multiple tables filled the large room, with about 3/4ths of them full. His stomach rumbled and Lloyd watched some of the kids get in a line that ran the length of the back wall. With no other direction Lloyd joined the line. He'd only moved a few steps when a sharp shove sent him flying into the wall.

"What do you think you're doing?"

Dazed Lloyd couldn't think of a response. Through blurry eyes he saw two older boys, probably fifth graders, staring down at him.

"We're dismissed by table and there's no way the babies have been let go yet." The boy on the left, a scrawny brown haired boy, took a step closer to Lloyd.

He shrank back against the wall but didn't move from the line.

"Maybe he didn't hear you Reed." His stockier companion bent down so his face was inches from Lloyd's. "What's the matter short stuff?" He yelled. "You stupid or something?"

It seemed his yell grabbed the attention of the entire cafeteria. Silence suddenly permeated the room and Lloyd felt the familiar prickle of eyes on him. He didn't say anything, but he didn't move either.

"I think he is stupid." Reed laughed. It was much higher pitched than Lloyd would have thought possible.

"I'm not stupid." Lloyd's sharp retort seemed to take the pair by surprise. But it only lasted a moment.

"Oh he can talk." The chunky boy poked Lloyd in the chest. "But you'd better not talk back, noob."

"I'm not noob," Lloyd swatted the finger away. "I'm Lloyd. Lloyd Garmadon." He glared at them with all the ferocity his small body could muster.

If possible the silent room became even more quiet. The two boys shared a terrified glance before a calculating look came over Reed's face.

"Garmadon, huh?" He started laughing, a high pitched screech. After a second the other boy started too. "Like, like we're supposed- supposed to believe you're the son of Lord Garmadon?" He managed to get out through gasps. Smirking down at Lloyd he grabbed him by the collar. "You know what I think of your dad?" Reed shoved Lloyd to the ground. "That." Cackling now he and the other boy stepped over the floundering Lloyd and continued up the line.

Lloyd stared after them in shock. More students walked past him and he looked up to see everyone quickly advert their eyes. Never in all the past mean encounters had someone actually tried to hurt him. Unwelcome tears rose for the second time in only a few hours. Rising unsteadily Lloyd pushed past several boys and ran for the double doors. Snickers followed and echoed even after he burst into the hall.

Lloyd didn't stop until he reached the main door. Smashing that open he skidded to a halt on the front steps. Sunlight flooded his body but it only made him more mad. How dare the sun shine on him while the kids made fun of him and Mommy wasn't there to make them all go away.

The long driveway stretched out before him. From the building's perch on the hill Lloyd could see forests stretch out for miles in every direction. Gulping in big gasps of air Lloyd realized he had no idea where home was. Footsteps sounded in the halls behind him brought Lloyd's attention back to his situation. He wanted nothing more to do with these big meanies... but he couldn't go home. Frantically looking around the yard Lloyd spotted a clump of bushes along the stone fence. Not taking another second to think he sped toward them.

Diving behind the greenery Lloyd tried to catch his breath. Now he was running from the place Mommy said would be his new school. He buried his face in his hands. She was going to be even more mad now. That didn't mean he was about to go back inside.

The pent up sobs that he'd been holding back couldn't be stopped anymore. Curling into a ball Lloyd cried and cried. Hiccups punctured his sobs until he could barely breathe between the combination. When his tears ran dry Lloyd hugged himself tighter, rocking back and forth and wishing for the life of him he was home.

The sun had moved far into the western sky by the time Lloyd finally had some control of his emotions. The gnawing hunger in his stomach might have had more to do with it than anything else. Sniffing Lloyd dragged his sleeve across his face. It came away kinda sticky. Lloyd frowned at it and did the same with his other arm. Dinner time had to be soon. Though his stomach rumbled mournfully, his heart clenched at the thought of facing all those eyes again. And the bullies.

 _'But food...'_ That voice quickly won out.

Lloyd took a couple deep breaths to calm himself and looked towards the building. Descending rays were hitting it at just the right angle to give the bricks a burnt red color. Like dried blood. Lloyd shook his head, he had to do this. If for nothing else than to make Mommy and Daddy proud. He didn't seem to be doing much of that lately.

The yard seemed even bigger now than when he'd first run across it. Yet step by step Lloyd dragged himself to the door. An empty hall greeted him. Lloyd sighed in relief. He slipped into the cafeteria and was surprised to see a few adults bustling about the food lines. Like the students they were all male.

Timidly Lloyd approached the nearest one, who was pouring something white and runny into a tray at a long counter. "E'scuse me? Can I - can I get something to eat?" The man's lip curled at Lloyd's intrusion, but upon seeing the small boy another one of those shocked looks came over his face. Lloyd pressed his point. "I- I didn't get lunch."

Lurching forward the man became animated again. "Yeah, sure." He looked doubtfully at Lloyd's small stature. His head didn't even come to the man's waist. "Can you reach?" Lloyd walked to the counter. His eyes barely cleared the edge. "That'll be a no then. Here."

The man grabbed a plate and plopped some noodles and the white stuff- must be sauce- on it. He handed it to Lloyd who took it gratefully.

"Thanks."

"Sure, kid." He glanced at a clock hanging from the wall. "The dinner rush starts in about 10 minutes. Just FYI." With that he returned to his task.

Lloyd cocked his head and looked at the clock too. ' _Why would he...? Oh.'_ That meant people would be coming in and right now Lloyd did _not_ want to be around more people. With another whispered "thanks" he sat down and shoveled the food in.

His stomach wasn't completely satisfied, having skipped a meal, but Lloyd wasn't going to stick around. Mommy usually put a couple snacks in his backpack, so if that had been taken to the room he could manage for the night. Putting his plate on a rack by the door Lloyd hurried from the cafeteria. More people were in the hallway now, but they weren't paying him attention. That was good. He hoped to keep it that way.

Excited chattering grew louder and Lloyd figured he'd soon be caught in a sea of hungry boys. Not wanting to deal with them he looked around for any means of escape. A bathroom door caught his attention. Ducking inside he slid in one of the stalls. Only moments later the thunder of many feet tromped by. Lloyd held his breath, but no one came in.

Soon the sounds became muted behind several walls. Lloyd toyed with the strings on his hoodie. He didn't want to face them, though he knew he was only delaying the inevitable. For now though that was okay. Poking his head out the door, he was relieved to see the hall empty.

Quickly he stole to the stairs and climbed until he saw the large red 5 on the wall. _'The room was three from the elevator.'_ Said room's door was still cracked open and Lloyd saw the rest of his luggage had been brought up and placed on the bottom bunk of the bed along the far wall. _'Does that make it my bed?'_ Lloyd frowned. No it wasn't _his_ bed. His bed was at home, with Mommy... who didn't want him there.

Sniffling Lloyd shoved the suitcases under the bed and climbed under the covers. The young boy would never willingly submit to bedtime this early at home but this day had been exhausting- physically and emotionally. He just wanted to sleep. Maybe he'd wake up tomorrow realizing this was all a bad dream...

Lloyd didn't realize he'd fallen asleep until muffled whispers brought him back to awareness. Keeping still Lloyd tried to make out what was being said, but whoever was talking was being too quiet. No longer caring if they knew he was awake, he pulled the comforter over his head. The boys stopped abruptly, for only a minute. They started back up with an increased fervor that made Lloyd nervous.

 _'Go away, go away, go away!'_ Lloyd wanted to scream, yet something inside him warned that wasn't a good idea. A small pop came from nearby, but Lloyd didn't think much of it. Suddenly the room went quiet again, this time as if in anticipation. Lloyd's stomach twisted. ' _What are they doing?'_ One of the floorboards by Lloyd's bed creaked giving him only a second's warning before the cover was ripped off his head and something dumped on him.

Yelping in shock Lloyd bolted upright and looked down. _'Ants!'_ Dozens of the large, red insects were frantically crawling over his arms, head and sheets. They didn't appear any happier about the situation than their current host. Sharp stings came from multiple ants at once. Lloyd fell out of the bed, shrieking in pain. He could hear the other occupants of his room laughing cruelly.

Scrambling up Lloyd ran toward the bathroom flailing his arms in a desperate attempt to get rid of the ants. He slammed the door behind him and ran his hands along his head, neck and arms. Several managed to bite his hands as he did that, but Lloyd's adrenaline kept him from feeling them too badly. The ants that fell to the floor were met with a large foot, never to bite anyone again. This all happened in the span of only a couple minutes but Lloyd was breathing hard by the time all the ants were killed.

As his adrenaline wore down the needle-like pain of all the bites became more apparent. Individually they wouldn't be so bad, but with so many the pain drove Lloyd to his knees. If Lloyd had thought he was out of tears earlier he was mistaken. More came in large wet, but silent, sobs. He knelt there for a long time, clenching his fists and letting the pain of the whole day work its way out of him.

The other boys didn't try to come in, which was a small mercy. Lloyd stayed inside the bathroom until he calmed enough to breathe normally. By that time the noises from the bunk room had completely died down. Sniffing Lloyd rubbed his palm over his eyes. He was so ready for this day to be done.

Taking a deep breath Lloyd turned off the light and cracked open the door. Five lumpy, but still, beds greeted him. Lloyd padded softly to his own. As he passed the second bed the lumpy not-so sleeper suddenly jerked upright. Lloyd gasped and stumbled backward.

"It's just me."

It took Lloyd a minute to recognize the voice. "Brad?!" His surprise quickly turned to anger. If Brad was one of his roommates he had a hand in the ants. "What do _you_ want?"

"Look I'm not gonna say sorry. This was to show you how things run around here. As I said earlier they're training us to be tomorrow's criminal masterminds. You have to be bad. Think about how to use others for your advantage."

Lloyd shook his head. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"You have to take what you can get and don't let nothin' stand in your way."

"B-but that's not what my mommy would say..."

Brad snorted. "Maybe, but that's how things work around here." He leaned forward. "There's a lot of meanies here- the big kids especially. But we can get them back." Lloyd stared speechless. Nothing today was making any sense. Brad sensed Lloyd's hesitation. "This is Revenge 101!"

Lloyd mouthed 'revenge.' That wasn't a word he was familiar with but Brad wasn't giving him a chance to ask questions.

"Tryble and the teachers don't get involved- he says it's to teach us to be 'tough.'" Brad rolled his eyes. "I just don't think they wanna be involved or make any of the parents mad." Pointing toward one of the beds he continued, "Aaron's dad owns a big time smuggling ring off the coast. Erik's above him. His mom over sees a multimillion dollar gambling circuit. Over there Ryder's on top. He comes from a long line of swindlers. Then Kaleb's parents own some ritzy retreat place that doubles as a cartel base.

"My dad's not as impressive but he is a fairly talented hacker and has a ton of people blackmailed. I heard from some of the older kids that a couple years back there was a big scandal because one of the teachers wanted to accept a _girl._ It didn't fly, obviously. I guess her dad runs some underground fight club or something but I mean the school does have the word _boys_ in it after all. But none of that compares to the son of one who literally has evil flowing through his veins!"

It took Lloyd a minute to realize Brad was referring to him. "My daddy's not evil!" He whisper-shouted hotly.

Even in the dim light he could see Brad's pitying look. "You don't know your history do you?"

"What do you mean?"

"Your dad... he's the biggest bad Ninjago's ever seen. He's the elemental master of destruction! He's leveled cities in his quest for world domination." More words Lloyd didn't understand, but they sounded dangerous. "But he disappeared a couple years ago." Brad scooted closer to Lloyd. "Do _you_ know what happened?"

"No! He- he hasn't been home in a long time."

"Hmm." Brad let the matter drop. "Well we can still get the older kids back. They've been askin' for it and you can help. I've had this great plan but it needs two people." His face grew serious. "We gotta be sne-aky because if they find out who done it they get mean." Brad rubbed a spot on the middle of his chest.

Lloyd still wasn't sure everything Brad was trying to say, but something ugly rose inside him. Anger to a level he'd never known before- or maybe it had always been there but never had the chance to come up since Mommy was quick to calm him. "What do you want to do?"

Brad's mouth stretched into a smirk. "Okay listen close..."

The next morning Brad and Lloyd were awake way before the other boys. Well Brad was awake, and after some rough shaking Lloyd joined him. After quickly getting dressed ready they stole out of the room. Downstairs the kitchen was unlocked for the crew to begin preparing breakfast.

Brad had explained that they weren't really supposed to be in the kitchen, but as this was a school for criminal masterminds people tended to look the other way unless someone was outright caught. Since he didn't have a trusted lookout he hadn't tried his own hand at sneaking into the kitchens yet. That's where Lloyd came in.

"You stay here." Brad whispered once they reached the kitchen door. "Stall anyone who tries to come in."

Lloyd nodded and Brad quickly slipped away. Through the door Lloyd caught a glimpse of large industrial fridges lining the walls. There were also a couple long counters with different utensils on them, but the door swung back before he could identify them.

A sucking sound, like a seal being broken, came from inside. Lloyd bounced on his toes as a thrill of excitement ran through him. Planning the caper had released something inside Lloyd that he hadn't known was locked away, something dark and mischievous. For once instead of ignoring the looks, the comments, he was going to fight back. That was something Mommy had never let him do- and it felt _good._

Lloyd frowned, good wasn't the right word. He definitely wasn't _being_ good by agreeing to do this, he knew enough about his actions to determine that- but lurking at the forefront of his mind was the overwhelming desire to make them sorry. If he let himself dwell on the thought it would actually be kinda scary at how intense the feeling was since it hadn't been acknowledged until just last night, but the opening of the kitchen door scattered his thoughts.

A smirking Brad emerged and showed Lloyd the package in his hands. Phase 1 complete, though Brad would have to explain to him again what a phase was.

Tip-toeing upstairs the boys exchanged smirks as they started on Phase 2. With that done, and their roommates none the wiser, they slipped back into bed.

An hour later alarm clocks started sounding on the floor. Groans and muffled banging came from Lloyd's own room. He rolled over and blearily looked around. Adrenaline shot through him when his eyes locked on the older boys. They weren't paying any attention to him, too tired to care about their newest roommate. Then he remembered his and Brad's plan.

Lloyd flicked his gaze over to Brad, but he was purposefully not making eye contact. _'Right, secret!'_ Watching the others Lloyd waited on his bed until the others had finished with the bathroom. Then snagging a spare set of clothes he ducked in to get ready for the day.

By the time he finished the older boys were gone. Brad fiddled with something near his own bed. He looked up as Lloyd walked over.

"I thought you were stalling or something! If we don't hurry we won't be able to see our results!" Gesturing toward the door Brad eagerly walked toward the hall.

Lloyd nodded and tossed his old clothes on his bed, but Brad saw and stopped in his tracks. "You can't leave those there. They come through to check our "general cleanliness."" Brad finger quoted the last phrase. "A neat lair is the start to a neat plan regardless if you're trashing a city." He rolled his eyes. "But whatever dorm is the cleanest each month gets extra dessert for a week."

"Okay," Lloyd shoved them in a bag and hurried after Brad.

Downstairs the halls were mostly empty but muffled chatter filtered in from the cafeteria.

"Come on!" Brad practically dragged Lloyd inside and they ducked into the lunch line.

No one paid the two young schemes a glance. Lloyd caught sight of their roommates clustered together ahead of them in line. Nudging Brad he pointed toward them with a nod of his head. They'd made it in time.

The line inched forward. Trying to remain inconspicuous Lloyd and Brad kept an eye on the older boys. The four of them had just turned from the food counter when Aaron appeared to trip on air. He fell forward, his tray flying toward his three companions. In an effort to avoid the food they all backpedaled only for it to look like someone ripped a rug out from under the four of them.

Food and limbs flew in every direction and for a moment there was a stunned silence. Snickers started up from the high schoolers and soon the room shook with laughter. The four boys shared similar looks of anger and mortification. Lloyd wasn't sure who was who yet besides Aaron but one with blond hair splattered with egg tried to stand up only for his foot to slide out behind him again. Another round of laughter came from onlookers. 

Mustering the shreds of their remaining dignity Aaron and the other two cautiously stood up. They were able to stay standing and by this time two kitchen helpers had come out with mops and brooms. Brad and Lloyd made sure to give the boys a wide berth as they took their trays to an emptier corner of the cafeteria.

Gradually the onlookers lost interest, returning to their own conversations. Lloyd couldn't get the image of their initial look of shock out of his mind. He laughed again and Brad looked over at him, grinning.

"I told you revenge would be fun! I'll have to thank my older brother the next time I see him." He leaned closer to Lloyd. "Never forget a little butter can go a long way."

This school was certainly unlike anything Lloyd could have imagined.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

_One month later_

Lloyd clung tightly to the small stack of folders in his hand and looked around nervously. After several weeks at the school he knew his routine and no longer got lost on the way to his various rooms. 

Principal Tryble hadn't been joking when he said the elementary level was small- there were only ten other kids in his classes, all of them two or more years older than him. Rather than divide them by technical grade the school kept them all in a room together. A teacher explained the material but depending on their age their assignments differed. Lloyd spent most of his time listening to the teacher followed by practicing reading and writing the alphabet.

The initial interest in the fact that the son of Lord Garmadon attended their same school had faded. That meant fewer stares, for which Lloyd was thankful, but some of the older boys had taken it to the other extreme. Apparently they thought the small blond preschooler was a sorry excuse for the famed Dark Lord's legacy. So their response was to taunt him about it. The word _bad_ was in the school's name after all.

Hence his current predicament. Classes had just ended for the day and as Lloyd left his room on the first floor he'd caught sight of some of the meaner middle schoolers hanging by the stairs. Not wanting to catch their attention he ducked down a side hall to avoid being seen. _'Stupid meanies.'_

Lloyd was so lost in thought he didn't realize he was no longer alone in the hallway.

"Well, well, what have we here?" Whirling around Lloyd saw Dustin, a 12- year-old student, and two of his cronies towering over him. "Seems little Garmadork's lost." The two guys with him laughed like hyenas. Lloyd took a shaky step backwards. "Looks like you need help."

Lloyd tried to run down the hall but Dustin grabbed him by the arm. Yelping Lloyd struggled to break free, his folders scattering across the hall. He wasn't a match for the three older boys.

"Come on. I've been saving this one!" Dustin cackled. He pulled a key out of his pocket and dragged Lloyd to a door.

A quick turn of the key revealed a small closet. Lloyd only got a quick glimpse before he was thrust forward and the door slammed shut behind him.

"Enjoy your trip." Their mocking laughter faded away.

Scrambling to his knees Lloyd turned toward the door. A small line of light glowed from the bottom but it wasn't enough to actually light the room. It was so dark. Dark was fine, comfortable even. But it was so small! Realization of what just happened sank in and Lloyd pounded on the door in a panic.

"Help! Help!" But no one came. Lloyd slid to the ground. "Please." He whispered.

Lots of things poked into him and he slid around finding the space he was in was only as wide as his arms stretched out. ' _It's too small! Too small!!'_ Pressure built up in his throat but Lloyd shoved it down.

He sat up and tried to bang on the door again but the thuds sounded small even to his own ears. Lloyd let his fist come to a stop on the door. _'It's no use.'_ Even if any of the bullies were still out there they weren't going to let him out.

 _'My father is Lord Garmadon.'_ Lloyd sucked in a deep breath and pictured an image of his father he'd seen since being at the school. The textbook made him look kinda scary but Lloyd knew that wasn't everything about him. ' _He doesn't give up so neither will I.'_ Lloyd pulled himself to his knees. _'The door's not going to open like this. What now?'_

Cautiously moving his arms around he began to further explore the contents of the closet. He felt a broom, mop and bucket, a small shelf with various squirt bottles on it. Nothing substantial to ram the door. His hands ran along the back wall. Rough brick met his fingers. He was about to try something else when he felt a divot in one of the bricks. It felt like a trigger. Momentarily forgetting his fear Lloyd pushed against it.

A dull click sounded and air whooshed by him. The wall fell away to a deeper darkness that stretched out far beyond the closet. ' _A secret passageway!'_

Excitement quickly replaced any remaining fear and Lloyd entered the corridor without hesitation. It was still dark, but now it wasn't so small. It was also an adventure.

The tunnel stretched on and little stars of light appeared on the walls, some high above him and some right about his eye level. Curious Lloyd approached one. Giving his eyes a second to adjust he drew close to one nearest to him. To his surprise he was looking into a classroom!

 _'If everyone of these lights showed a room...'_ This was going to be fun- if he could find a way out of the passage. Lloyd padded on, taking time to look into random peep holes. It seemed like there was one for almost every room. Halls branched off within walls and when Lloyd reached the end of his current one his foot kicked something. _'Stairs?'_ It seemed the passageways went all throughout the building.

Lloyd made his way up to the fifth floor but there weren't many holes cut into the walls here. After frowning in thought Lloyd realized that was probably a good thing. Thinking that someone could look into his room when he didn't know it would be creepy. There were a couple holes that showed the main hallway and one that went to the common lounge in the middle of the floor.

Most of the students were still downstairs, with classes only just recently ended. It was light enough to make out levers near each peephole. Ensuring no one was around Lloyd hit the one next to the common room. With a small moan hinges appeared and the door swung open.

Lloyd didn't know how to reopen the door from the outside but now that he knew where it was he could search for a trigger. Slipping out he made sure the door was firmly closed behind him. The bullies' rooms were a couple Lloyd had made sure to pay attention to. And now with them downstairs... A smirk grew on Lloyd's face- after Brad and his teacher's new lessons on _revenge_ these jerks wouldn't know what hit them.

Thirty minutes later when Dustin and his crew came to their rooms they stared in shock at the doorways. Clothes and possessions lay scattered about the room. Mouth gaping Dustin attempted to make sense of the scene- just as the room monitors came up behind him. Lloyd, having snuck back to the closet and made his way back to the fifth floor, watched from the nearest peephole as Dustin waved his arms about trying to proclaim his innocence.

Snickering Lloyd felt a smug sense of accomplishment rise in him. He'd managed to outsmart those jerks and they were none the wiser. _'I think I'm gonna like it here after all.'_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In the show Lloyd says he doesn't remember his mom. It's very probable if he was dropped off at Darkly's early in life he wouldn't have (m)any memories of her, but I don't see the school accepting an infant. Additionally he later says Brad took him under wing first day and how Brad released fire ants on him- so he would have to be old enough to remember that. Therefore I made it so Lloyd was four-ish when he was dropped off at the school.


	10. Hello Darkness My Old Friend 2

_6 years later_

The cafeteria buzzed with chatter as the students took advantage of their short break between classes. Midterms loomed in the coming week, but for now those thoughts could be shoved aside. Fat puffy flakes fell from the sky and even in a school for evil, excitement bubbled for the upcoming winter holidays.

The administrative department struggled under the onslaught of early Christmas presents and letters with families' upcoming plans. One such unfortunate teacher currently balanced a towering stack of packages, made his way about the room delivering the day's mail.

Lloyd watched from the corner of his eye. A sour taste rose in his throat but Lloyd forced it down. There wouldn't be anything for him, like usual. It wasn't worth the effort to get his hopes up, only to have them dashed again. No, emotional detachment would serve him much better. If only he convince himself to follow through. Some little piece of him continued to want some form of acknowledgement from his parents, never mind he hadn't seen hide nor hair of either parent since his mother dropped him off years ago.

Shoving those thoughts away Lloyd forced a smirk on his face and turned to Brad, "Bet you I can make him drop everything from here."

"You're on!"

Lloyd reached into his pocket and pulled out a slingshot.

"That's cheap!" Brad complained.

Lloyd smirked. "I never said how I'd do it." Mr. Argent turned so his back was to Lloyd. "Piece of cake."

Pulling the slingshot Lloyd aimed for the small of Mr. Argent's back. He released it to a bullseye. The man lurched forward, packages scattering across the table and floor sending food flying in all directions. Disgruntled shouts and yelps filled the room.

Lloyd cackled while Brad shook his head. "Alright. Alright. That was a good shot."

"Thanks." Lloyd gave a small bow. "I do what I can."

Brad rolled his eyes. "Whatever-"

His words were cut off when someone shoved both his and Lloyd's heads forward into their plates.

"Hey!" Lloyd's indignant cry came out muffled from mashed potatoes and corn.

Mocking laughter came from behind them. "Look what we have here. Two little kids making messes with their food." Reed's no longer squeaky voice filtered into Lloyd's ears.

It wasn't unexpected, in fact Lloyd was surprised he'd gone until lunch without incident. Sighing Lloyd reached for a napkin. Reed continued droning but Lloyd tuned him out. It would be the same old taunts, same old dance. After six years he'd have thought Reed would get bored of it, but nope. Lloyd supposed it gave Reed some small measure of accomplishment in his life. Especially if the rumors of Reed's grades were to be believed. Brad mentioned he thought Reed only stayed in classes because his dad was on the board for the school.

That didn't mean Lloyd didn't want to punch him in the face.

But with Reed having ten inches and sixty pounds on him, Lloyd knew it would just be inviting trouble. There was no fear of repercussions from Lloyd's parents... Lloyd jerked that train to a stop before it could continue.

Once Reed left Gene leaned over from across the table. "With your continued lack of resistance you have a 98.9% chance his interactions will only escalate."

Gene was a fellow middle schooler in age alone. He was something of an evil genius. And way too smug about it for most of the student body's taste.

Lloyd rolled his eyes. "You think? I've dealt with him for so long that I know it's not worth it."

"If you wish to be perpetually humiliated the choice is solely yours."

Clenching his teeth Lloyd forced out, "He's only got one more year, then he'll be gone."

"Not sure if his grades will agree with that," Brad muttered.

" _Don't_ jinx it."

The bell rang, interrupting their conversation. Lloyd stood turning his back to Gene. ' _Just enough time to get cleaned up._ '

Leaving Brad behind at the table Lloyd hurried to the bathroom, ignoring the glances of passing students. Unfortunately this was a common occurrence.

The warning bell had just rang when Lloyd ducked into his next class. Though the school taught the ways of evil, tardiness was still strongly frowned upon. And given Lloyd's interactions with his classmates, his record was long enough.

Mr. Rikards stood at the front of the class. His eyes trailed Lloyd as he hurriedly made his way to his seat. "Today we'll be talking about how to locate hidden cameras and how to get into their blind spots..."

An hour and a half later the bell rang and loud chatter filled the room as everyone started packing up.

"Lloyd wait a moment!" Mr. Rikards called before Lloyd could leave.

A chorus of "Ooooo's" rose from the class. Puffing out a sigh Lloyd ignored them. This was also nothing new, but it seemed to be happening with greater frequency this year. He loitered in the front row. The remaining students trickled out leaving the two alone.

"Sooooo...?" Lloyd drew out the word.

"Lloyd," he reached into his bag and pulled out a piece of paper. Lloyd looked to see one of his assignments staring back at him, a large red 'D' scrawled across the top. "While I admit yours was the most... _innovative_ paper I've had in my ten years of teaching, I'm afraid a plan to steal all the neighboring town's lollipops isn't quite the caliber of evil we're wanting you to strive towards."

Lloyd kept his gaze on the paper. He'd thought that had been one of his better plans.

"I know you're trying. Your effort outweighs a lot of others in the class, but I've noticed you seem to have lost some of your evil creativity."

Shrugging Lloyd didn't bother offering a response.

"Lloyd, you have to work with me."

"I don't know... I just haven't been able to focus much lately."

"Any particular reason why?"

Other than the fact that Lloyd was feeling more and more like an outsider and not finding the interest in the subject matter like in the past? Other than the other kids picking on him more and more even though whispers were starting to trickle in that Garmadon was on the move- and hadn't made any attempt to contact him? Nothing much.

"Just ready for break I guess."

Mr. Rikards stared at him for a long minute. "Alright. But I do need to talk with Principal Tryble about your performance."

Lloyd flinched. That wasn't good. Especially when his History of Ninjago's Criminal Underlords said the same thing earlier in the week.

"M'kay." Was all he managed to get out.

Mr. Rikards sighed, somewhat sadly. "You can get on to your next class."

Without a backward glance Lloyd made for the door. Hurrying around the corner Lloyd stopped and watched as Mr. Rikards left the classroom, heading toward the principal's office.

Lloyd bounced on the balls of his feet. He really shouldn't, but... it was a school for bad boys after all. And they were encouraged to practice their material, right? Turning on his heal he hurried toward the supply closet. The tunnels and passageways within the school was one secret Lloyd held close to his chest. Days like today made holding it in well worth it.

With practiced steps Lloyd made his way through the dark halls. After so many years exploring them he could get almost anywhere in the building within a couple minutes. Fortunately the principal's office was only a few seconds dash from the closet entrance.

A knock sounded on the door just as Lloyd reached the peep hole. Principal Tryble looked up from where he sat at his desk. "Come in."

Mr. Rikards poked his head in. "Do you have a minute?"

He glanced at the clock. "I do."

"Good." Mr. Rikards sat down across from Principal Tryble. "It's about Lloyd."

Tryble looked up and raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"

"He's failing my class, and from what I understand most of his other core classes too." Leather squeaked as Principal Tryble shifted. "He's bright and a quick study, but not in the areas that matter. All his attempts at being evil are just pranks, minor inconveniences, not megalomaniac plans."

"I'm afraid I've noticed that too. I had such high hopes for him. Especially since we started him so young. But in the last couple years he hasn't been progressing the way I expected." Principal Tryble sighed. "Part of me wonders if it's in any of our best interest to keep him enrolled here much longer."

Lloyd stifled a gasp. No! They couldn't do that to him. This was his _home_. Or the closest thing to it. The ringing in his ears was so loud he missed the next couple sentences.

"-is father may be Lord Garmadon, but it seems he has too much of his mother in him. He just doesn't have his father's evilness. And, to be frank, Garmadon's been gone so long we don't know if he's alive. The skeletons could be using his name to increase their reputation. He's certainly not been asking us about Lloyd." There was a long moment of silence. "Anyway, I'll give it until the end of the year. We can reevaluate the situation then.

Mr. Rikards nodded thoughtfully. "Sounds reasonable. I have to get to my next class, Keith."

Tryble smiled grimly. "I won't keep you."

He sat still for several minutes after Mr. Rikards left. Finally he sighed, "Oh, Lloyd, Lloyd, Lloyd. What am I going to do with you?"

Not wanting to watch any more Lloyd turned down the hall. Well, more like stumbled down the hall. His feet felt heavier than they ever had, and he almost fell before leaning heavily against the wall. He had the presence of mind to be thankful no one was in the classroom on the other side.

 _'Why? They can't- they can't just let me go.'_ Thick pressure built in his throat. _'No. No! I won't let that happen.'_ Forcing the emotions down Lloyd swiped at his eyes. _'I_ will _show them I can be evil. I will!'_

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

_Three months later_   
  
  


_Loser_

_Freak_

_Abandoned_

_Charity case_

The principal's warning had somehow circled the school. In all honesty it wasn't much of a surprise, not much stayed secret at the school for future villains.

With practiced ease Lloyd ignored the whispers and taunts. The weather was finally warm enough for Lloyd to enact on his plan. All of them would see how evil he really could be. Principal Tryble included.

Lloyd grimaced as memories of his meeting with the principal ran through his mind. During winter break, when Lloyd was practically the only student still on campus, he'd been ushered into an 'official meeting' to explain the situation. Even though Lloyd figured it was coming it wasn't hard to act like it was his first time hearing the principal's ultimatum; improve your grades or else- in so many words.

He really was trying, but the added pressure wasn't helping his concentration. Sure he'd pulled most of his grades up to a 'C,' but being the son of Garmadon he knew everyone here expected better than that. After today they'd all know he had it in him. Hopefully.

It was Saturday. A little gray and overcast but that meant fewer people out and about. Which was good since no one knew what he was up to. Leaving campus without permission was a definite no-no, but that wouldn't matter if everything went according to plan.

Slipping outside Lloyd pulled his hoodie tight over his ears. The spring air still held a chill but he shivered now from excitement. It only took two minutes to slip out of the grounds and begin his way down the mountain. From there it'd be a half hour walk to the nearest village, but that was pretty manageable. Especially if this worked the way it was supposed to.

Woods lined the road for miles in each direction, which was helpful when Lloyd didn't want to be seen by any potential passersby. The last thing he needed was some concerned citizen wondering why he was walking around by himself in the middle of nowhere.

Keeping the road in sight Lloyd hiked his way through the dense underbrush. Excitement propelled him forward even after his legs began to protest the long walk. _'It'll be worth it.'_ Lloyd assured himself.

As he continued on, he went over the plan again in his mind. Schematics of Jamanakai Village included where the small town's market area was. And conveniently for him the toy store sat next to the candy one.

His thoughts came to a halt when one second he was walking under the cover of trees, then the next standing in a meadow under a weak spring sun. Blinking under the sudden intrusion Lloyd forgot for a moment what he was doing. Distant sounds of people and cars filtered in his ears and Lloyd looked up to see the small houses compiling the village atop a nearby hill.

Lloyd frowned, he'd be in clear view as he came into town. Hopefully the village was big enough that Lloyd could slip in without attracting too much attention. Keeping his head down Lloyd walked pretending he was invisible. It seemed to work, if anyone looked at him they didn't spare him a second glance. Internally grinning he wandered deeper into the village. If this village was so laid back this endeavor would be easier than Lloyd could have imagined!

The market was in the heart of the village. Thankfully the shops Lloyd targeted were on the periphery. Finding the back of the candy store Lloyd casually glanced around for an observers. He was in the clear. Almost bursting with anticipation Lloyd put his hand on the doorknob and started to turn it.

"What do you think you're doing?" A stern, deep voice asked. The question was accompanied by a heavy hand on Lloyd's shoulder.

Just like that Lloyd watched his dreams fizzle into nothingness.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Land sped by as the Tread Assault made the return journey much quicker than Lloyd could have on foot. The trip would have been awesome- if Lloyd wasn't internally terrified about the fate that awaited him. Not only did he break a cardinal villain rule of being _caught,_ but it was by one of the _ninja_ no less.

Why the black ninja was in Jamanakai wasn't really answered. Lloyd supposed it didn't matter, not really. He sure though, Principal Tryble was going to be livid. Darkley's, for all its faults, would no longer be his home.

The black ninja braked hard sending Lloyd spilling forward. It would have been less embarrassing if the ninja hadn't chosen that moment to also make the vehicle vanish leaving Lloyd's less than graceful tumble in full view of the students who'd gathered to see the Tread Assault. Just because they were villains in training didn't mean they couldn't appreciate a sweet ride.

Lloyd groaned under his breath. This day just kept getting better and better. The ninja took him by the arm and firmly led him to the front steps. Student parted for them, leaving a wide, silent path.

Cheeks burning in shame Lloyd kept his eyes fixed firmly on the ground in front of him. Brown polished shoes met them at the door and Lloyd didn't have to look up to know it was Tryble.

"I didn't think you had any field trips in Jamanakai today. So I figured I'd spare him the walk home." The ninja wasn't trying to talk loudly, but his deep voice carried through the quiet yard.

"You were correct. Thank you," Lloyd couldn't remember Tryble ever saying _thank you_ , "I can take it from here." Tryble opened the door and ushered Lloyd leaving the ninja to see himself off.

"Office. Now." There was no room for argument in his tone.

The click of the door shutting made Lloyd flinch. He sat in the same chair that he first sat in all those years ago.

Tryble let out a long sigh. "Lloyd, what were you thinking?"

Lloyd shrank back in his seat. He shrugged.

"No. Lloyd you tell me, what do you think you were doing?"

"I wanted to prove myself!" The words burst unbidden from his mouth. Well there was no going back now. Lloyd dared to glance up at Principal Tryble. "I thought I could show that I- that I'm evil."

"So you thought leaving school grounds without permission, walking six miles to the nearest habitation and then in broad daylight walk up to the employee entrance of a _candy store_ expecting to what, just be let in?"

Lloyd clenched his jaw, "Well when you put it like that..."

Shaking his head Tryble leaned backward. "You have spirit, but this just proves to me you're not for Darkley's." Tryble's eyes took on a softer expression in them, pity maybe. That was the closest thing anyone at Darkley's came to kindness. "I know that's not what you want to hear, but you just don't have the amoral ambition to become one of tomorrow's masterminds."

It suddenly felt like the walls were caving in on Lloyd. He fought to breathe past the weight crushing his chest. Even though he knew it was coming, part of him still didn't think it would actually happen.

"-ere until the end of term, but we'll work to set up living arrangements for you once summer begins."

Lloyd could only nod numbly, the nausea churning in his gut gave his face a green sheen.

Tryble seemed to catch his shellshock and changed the subject. "You're back in time to join the Saturday detention group. No matter your reasons, leaving the school grounds was a foolish thing to do."

"Yes, sir." Lloyd whispered.

Sliding from the chair he was about to walk out when Tryble's spoke again, "We will figure out the next step for you Lloyd, I promise."

Not looking back, Lloyd left the room. He exited to the stares of his classmates. Ignoring them he started toward the math room that served as the detention room.

Seconds later Tryble's voice sounded over the speaker, "Leith Jones I need you in the office."

Lloyd only paused for a second. If the records worker was being paged he had no doubt they were going to talk about him. _'Screw this, it's not like they can do anything worse to me.'_

Scurrying away from the lingering gazes Lloyd made his way to the closest passage door, this one in the art room. Thankfully no one was in the room, though at this point who cared if the other students found out. Lloyd wouldn't be needing the information anymore.

The adults were already talking when Lloyd reached the office.

"-tried reaching out to the mother, but as with any previous attempts I haven't heard anything from her. Garmadon himself is still, ah, unavailable. I'm not sure where we'd send the boy, his file doesn't report any other next of kin or frankly even emergency contacts." Mr. Jones sounded frustrated.

Principal Tryble sighed. "I'd prefer if social services isn't involved. That's a whole hassle we don't need since they don't exactly appreciate our area of study to begin with. If Lloyd gets put in the system I doubt having attended here for the better part of his life would be of service to him."

"We haven't had to do this before but I'll try to see what I can find out. Avoiding social service would probably be wise. He doesn't just have Darkly's in his record, but his last name isn't one the general populace would want to associate with."

"True. Well let me know what you're able to find."

With a nod Mr. Jones left the room.

Lloyd had heard enough. The story of his life continued- no one wanted him, his parents included. Well there was no point in waiting around for a solution everyone knew wouldn't come.

Today proved Lloyd could get away from the school grounds easily, though he'd have to work on the 'staying away' part. However being officially kicked out he wouldn't really have to worry about it. One more month here wouldn't make a difference. And he didn't want anyone else's pity. Maybe he could preserve a fraction of his dignity if the students thought he'd run away instead of being dropped from the school.

So that night as the school slept Lloyd packed his few belongings and stole out into the dark to forge his own way.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

_Two years, an accelerated six years' growth, and an unfortunate stone giant encounter later_

After living with the ninja for an extended amount of time Lloyd didn't think much would surprise him anymore. Yet seeing his long lost mother exit from the Ninjago City Museum was not at all what he was expecting that Tuesday. And he'd just sent a two ton anthropomorphic statue hurtling toward the center of the earth.

He'd be lying if a part of him wasn't longing for this ever since she dropped him off at Darkley's. However a larger- angrier _-_ part of him wanted nothing to do with her. After all she'd wanted nothing to do with him- _for nine years!_

Blocking out his brothers' calls Lloyd turned from the sinkhole- and by extension _her_ \- and all but ran out of the museum.

Though the building was situated in the middle of town, a small park sat only a block away. Lloyd's feet took him there as his thoughts swirled tumultuously. _'I don't- She- now-?_ ' This was one battle Uncle Wu couldn't have trained him for. He plopped on a bench seconds before his knees buckled.

Gravel crunched behind him and Lloyd felt a presence waiting to be acknowledged.

"I need a minute- or fifty." He internally winced at the wavering in his voice.

"Isn't nine years long enough?"

Lloyd jerked his head up, Kai's voice had not been the one he was expecting.

It took him a second to find his voice but when he did he practically yelled, "That's just it. Nine years! Why would she do that?"

"If you come back she might be able to answer that." Lloyd stayed silent. Kai sighed and sat down next to him. "That doesn't make what she did right, but- but at least you have an opportunity to see her again." Kai's voice went soft, almost wistful.

Just when Lloyd didn't think he could feel worse. If any of the other ninja knew what he was feeling it'd be Kai. He and Nya had been abandoned too, for many more years than he had, and yet here Lloyd was the one turning down an opportunity to be with his mother.

"I don't- I mean I-I guess, I'm scared."

The admission shamed him. He, the prophesied savior of Ninjago, scared- scratch that _terrified_ \- to try and mend the bridge between him and the one person above any other who should have been a constant in his life.

"She didn't want me before, who's to say she won't again?" Lloyd began to shake as years of pent up anger and hurt finally had an excuse to work their way out of his system.

Kai put his arm around Lloyd's shoulder as Lloyd began to sob. And he didn't care. Just because he now looked seventeen didn't mean he felt like it every day and right now... everything was just way too confusing.

After a few minutes he stilled, "Sorry." He rasped out.

Kai shook his head. "You have nothing to be sorry for. It's a lot to take in," he smirked, "Besides Nya tells me emotions are healthy. Though I've yet to take her up on that."

Lloyd managed a snicker.

"It's okay, Lloyd. Or it will be, but I promise you this no matter what happens you have four brothers - and I guess a sister- who aren't going to leave your side. _No matter what_."

"Thanks." Lloyd was quiet for a minute then sighed. "Before living on the Bounty I didn't have anyone- anyone willing to stick with me. I- it means a lot." Taking another deep breath he looked at Kai, "I think- I think I can do it now."

Kai nodded encouragingly. "Let's head back then. I'm sure the others are worried."

The short walk back seemed to be agonizingly drawn out. Lloyd didn't know how one block could take so long, but he managed to make it back to the museum entrance. The other ninja were standing outside waiting for them. He wasn't sure how he felt when he didn't see Misako with them.

"She is just inside." Zane informed him, noticing Lloyd's curious glance. "We wanted to make sure you were okay first."

"Yeah, I- I can do this."

 _'I think.'_ Walking inside Lloyd felt his stomach flip dangerously. The last thing he needed was to puke all over his mother.

There she was, sitting on a bench along the wall far enough out of the way the two could have a conversation without too many observers. Steeling his nerves Lloyd headed her way.

She watched him, almost impassively, but Lloyd saw the tightness in her mouth and slight crease in her forehead. She was scared too. That thought gave him a measure of comfort.

"Lloyd."

He nodded in return, not trusting his voice and not quite ready to call her mom yet. Sitting next to her, he waited.

"This wasn't how I wanted us to reunite, but I'm so glad to see you again." She reached out to touch Lloyd's face but he leaned back. He didn't miss the small flash of pain in her eyes. For a wicked moment he was glad for it.

"I'm sorry, I-" it was her turn to take a deep breath, "I know you must have a lot of questions for me, but know this Lloyd I've never stopped loving you."

A snort made its way out before Lloyd could stop it. "Really? How can you say that? You abandoned me! How is that any better than him? At least I know my father had a decent excuse- being banished to the Underworld and all that. At least he actually cared enough to set aside his personal vendetta when I was in trouble and actually come help me. But where have you been the last few years?" Once the words started Lloyd couldn't hold them back.

"Lloyd I was afraid-"

"Of what? Me? That I'd turn out like, like father?" Lloyd didn't care he was yelling. Let the other patrons stare for all he cared.

"No!" Misako shook her head emphatically. "Never of you, only for you."

That wasn't quite what he was expecting to hear, but he still wasn't convinced.

"For me?"

"A mother has a certain six sense with her children. I _knew_ you'd be the green ninja. I knew the prophecy said you'd have to face your father and I couldn't- I didn't want you to have to do that. I left to find a way for you to avoid that fate."

"And look how well that turned out." Lloyd muttered but he could hear the earnestness in her voice. He still had more questions though. "But why leave me behind? Or at least why not leave me with Uncle Wu?"

Lloyd's voice cracked with pent up emotion, but he couldn't bring himself to ask the next question; why in the world had she dropped him off at Darkley's- especially when he now knew his dad _didn't_ want him to turn out evil, or at least wanted him to be able to choose his own destiny?

"I-I was mad at him," Misako's face flushed red. "Your father and uncle had just fought violently over the Golden Weapons leading to your father's banishment. Selfishly I blamed him for your father being gone and I didn't want to look weak crawling to him for help."

"So you left me at a boarding school for next generation criminal masterminds. So much better." She flinched and Lloyd felt a tinge of guilt but forced out, "Why did you leave me there?" Not giving her a chance to answer he plowed on, "You never even came to check on me. The office couldn't find you when they _planned to kick me out_. You said you wanted me not to face my father. Is that why you left me at a school that makes no secret about trying to train up future villains? Did you want me to become a villain so I would join him?"

Misako's eyes swam with unshed tears, "No, at least not really. I took you there because I knew the name Garmadon wouldn't hurt you there. They wouldn't look at you differently because of your father. You'd be safe."

"It's been a long time since you were in middle school." Lloyd muttered, but he shook his head. "Why though wouldn't you visit? Or send a letter or- or something?!"

"I planned to at first, but time just kept moving and... it was easier not to." Misako laughed humorlessly. "I was a coward. I didn't have anything that would help and by the time I realized how long my search would be I thought you'd be better off without me." She leaned forward staring into Lloyd's eyes. "I know it was faulty reasoning but I was scared you wouldn't want me back and I didn't try. I'm so sorry Lloyd. I know it was wrong, and- and if you're willing I'd like to try and start over."

Lloyd was silent, thinking. A lot of years and a lot of hurts spanned the last time he'd seen her. She was practically a stranger, but maybe that was alright. It would make starting over... easier wasn't the right word. Okay?

"I-I'd like that." He tentatively offered a smile.

The tears she'd been holding back fell unhindered, and Lloyd felt more prick the back of his own eyes. Drawing Lloyd into a hug she held him close for a long minute.

Moving forward would be tough- he didn't always appreciate the 'mothering' of the ninja and Uncle Wu, having spent most of his years fending for himself. Lloyd also wasn't sure just because Misako was back in his life she'd automatically get all her mother rights back.

It would be awkward- he hadn't seen her in nine years. That was a lot of time to catch up on. Especially when they had to contend with Tomorrow's Tea being thrown in the mix.

But, hopefully, it'd be worth it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Part of this one-shot (2 shot?) stemmed from a comment the ninja make in S1 when the audience meets Lloyd for the first time; that Lloyd's run away again from school. So there's some sort of past interaction or knowledge there. Plus in the Ninjago comics (admittedly I'm not sure how canon they're considered but hey Seliel's stuck around 😆) there's a greater period of time between when Lloyd leaves the serpentine after Pythor's betrayal and living full time with the ninja.
> 
> Also in the show Lloyd and Misako seem to patch things up in two minutes when she's reintroduced into his life and no further issues from there, but where's the fun (or realism) in that?


End file.
